Backoffice, a startup building an operations management solution for restaurants, cafes, and hotels, has raised a €150,000 investment from venture capital funds FIRSTPICK and Lost Astronaut. The funds will be used for active product expansion across Europe.
Founded in Vilnius, the startup is developing a platform designed to simplify the day-to-day business operations of the hospitality and food service sector, from shift changes to payroll and internal communication. Employees can more efficiently swap shifts, log work hours, and track their earnings. Backoffice founders Erikas Pakėnas and Denis Stech say the idea came from personal experience. They now aim to replace fragmented solutions such as Excel spreadsheets or messaging apps with a single centralised system.
“I grew up watching my mum run her restaurant and bakery business: long hours, constant schedule changes, staff shortages. The people who build businesses like this love people, love the industry, and are deeply hospitable but they’re often drowning in operational work. Backoffice is an attempt to change that,” says E. Pakėnas.
The platform is already in use at more than 40 locations across Lithuania from Michelin-starred restaurants to high-pace late-night bars, including Džiaugsmas, Pleassurie, Tempo, Ahha, Meating Room, Burro, Momo Grill, and Pacai. Around 500 users are currently registered on the system.
“Strong progress made in a relatively short time, that’s what we value most: the ability to move fast and learn from the market. We see the potential for this product to become infrastructure for the entire sector. Today the average hospitality business uses 5 or more different systems, and Backoffice aims to bring that together into one platform,” says FIRSTPICK partner Marijus Andrijauskas.
According to Lost Astronaut co-founder and CEO Marius Burgaila, the decision to invest in this team was driven not only by real results achieved, but also by the potential. There are more than 2 million companies operating in the European hospitality and food service market, with over 15,000 in the Baltics alone.
“We see not just a clear market need, but a team that has turned an idea into a working solution. These signals at an early stage are the strongest investment indicator,” says M. Burgaila.
FIRSTPICK and Lost Astronaut aim to invest in up to 100 early-stage startups over the next 3 years, with an average ticket size of around €100,000. To support this, they are building an “All-stars” league made up of the best entrepreneurs from the Baltic states. Selected startups will join a team of over 250 coaches, receiving support to avoid common mistakes, maintain growth momentum, and focus on what drives results.
