The pandemic has brought an acute awareness of cleanliness and hygiene to many. And a company with new ties to North Texas is looking to help food handlers prevent the spread of germs with one simple task – washing their hands.
PathSpot Technologies, a New York-based hygiene management startup, has opened up a second office in Plano to house much of its growing customer-facing team, with plans to expand its business alongside the region’s major players in the food and restaurant industry.
“We really had a huge influx of clients and guests that were very interested in PathSpot as restaurants brands are reopening, as guests are returning to normal life,” said Kim DeCarolis, PathSpot’s vice president of sales. “This momentum is just based on the momentum of the interest of our clients, and making sure that as we onboard these clients, our team and our staff are ready to support them.”
The company currently has three full-time employees at WeWork’s space in Plano’s Legacy West development, with another that splits their time between Texas and the East Coast. The new office is led by Lauren Seidenstein, PathSpot’s vice president of customer success, who has worked at other startups, including Punchh and Fishbowl. The company is looking to increase its DFW headcount to between 10 and 15 by the end of the next quarter.
Seidenstein said the decision to open the company’s second office in DFW was in part due to its geographic location. In the middle of the country and in the Central time zone, North Texas’ location will allow PathSpot to connect with clients and supporting them virtually or in-person more easily, she said especially, as the company looks to add to its clientele. Seidenstein added that North Texas is home to several large players in the food industry like Yum Brands, Chile’s and TGI Fridays, and several other businesses in other industries growing or relocating to the region.
“I think there are a lot of pros moving into the Dallas marketplace. There’s obviously a lot of huge businesses that are either headquartered here today or have plans to move to the Dallas area,” Seidenstein said. “It’s a huge growth market right now, and it just so happens that food service is growing like crazy in the Dallas area, as well. That definitely was a player in why we wanted to have specifically our customer-facing roles be in the Dallas area.”
DeCarolis added that companies, like Yum, have built innovation labs in the region, drawing in new technologies and talent.
“Technology is a huge contributor to food service as a whole, as it exists today,” Seidenstein said. “We’re the first technology that allows companies to digitize the process of handwashing.”
PathSpot has developed a patented hand scanning monitor that is set up near a handwashing station. Using fluorescent light spectroscopy, which emits a beam of light that detects gut biome molecules that could be spread and contaminate food and other items, the device can alert a worker when the presence of those types of germs are detected. The information, which can be collected all the way down to the individual employee level, is then uploaded to a dashboard for leaders to track whether proper hygiene protocols are being followed.
According to the company, the technology can reduce contaminants in a business by 75 percent after 30 days, increasing to around 90 percent after six months, along with a 3x increase in handwashing among workers after a device is deployed. Seidenstein declined to disclose revenue numbers.
“That clients feel great going out to eat at whatever restaurant chain they’re going to, just knowing that hand hygiene, that culture of cleanliness is really something that brands are focusing on,” DeCarolis said.
Since PathSpot’s launch in 2017, the company has grown to a team of 20. In that time, it has also pulled in $10.5 million in outside funding, most recently with a $6.5 million Series A round led by Valor Siren Ventures I L.P., a vehicle formed by Valor Equity Partners and Starbucks, last May.
DeCarolis said the startup had seen an uptick in business as restaurants begin to reopen dining rooms. She added the cleanliness and hygiene had become an important part of businesses in the food industry rebuilding the confidence of their customers in safety protocols. To capitalize on this and continue its growth, DeCarolis said PathSpot would looking to bring in new funding in the next year to help onboard more clients and build its team to support them, although she declined to disclose how much the company is looking to raise.
“Handwashing really is the best defense against any pathogen… COVID, the flu or anything else. So, while we’re not necessarily scanning or preventing (COVID-19), by having your employees follow protocols… is also the best way to stop the spread of illness.”
A previous version of this story contained incorrect information provided by the company.
