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Zest Raises $1.8 Million To Build AI-Powered Restaurant Discovery Platform

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

June 11, 2026

Innovative Approach To Restaurant Discovery

Restaurant discovery startup Zest is using transaction data and artificial intelligence to generate dining recommendations based on users’ actual spending habits rather than reviews or saved wishlists. Founded in November 2024, the company aims to help users discover restaurants through verified dining activity and personalized recommendations.

Strategic Funding And Early Adoption

Founded in November 2024, Zest has rapidly captured market attention with $1.8 million in pre‐seed funding from notable investors, including Alexis Ohanian via 776 and Steve Jang at Kindred Ventures. The platform, which has been in beta since inception, expanded its user base steadily from a circle of friends and family to a broader audience, garnering over 100,000 visits in a matter of weeks post-launch.

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Data-Driven Personalization In Action

Unlike other apps that simply compile dining wishlists, Zest’s distinctive advantage lies in its reliance on verifiable transaction data. By linking a user’s credit card to the platform, Zest imports verified dining transactions to create a personalized map of favorite eateries. This transparent method extends beyond curated posts, instead offering recommendations based on the frequency and monetary investment users commit to their chosen spots.

Leveraging Trusted Financial Partnerships

Zest integrates data through Plaid, a leading financial services provider trusted by major banks and fintech innovators. This partnership ensures that only dining-related transactions are extracted, improving the accuracy of its personalized mapping while preserving user privacy and data integrity.

Curating The Authentic Dining Experience

Co-founder Mario Gomez-Hall emphasizes the platform’s focus on genuine dining experiences over ostentatious social sharing. “It’s about uncovering your regular spots, the dependable ‘hole in the wall’ you love, not just the high-end, Michelin-rated restaurants,” he explains. With the combined technical expertise of co-founder Alex Moller, whose background includes Apple and other tech giants, Zest is poised to set a new standard in authentic dining exploration.

Expanding The Culinary Landscape

Alongside transaction-based recommendations, Zest analyses more than 80 million reviews from multiple sources, including Michelin and Reddit. The startup is also introducing new features that allow users to save personal notes about restaurants and share recommendations. A new “Fresh Picks” feature will highlight recently discovered restaurants in a format similar to Spotify’s Discovery Weekly.

Beyond Restaurants: A Vision For Urban Exploration

The company plans to expand beyond restaurant recommendations and explore additional categories of local experiences, including shopping and nightlife. According to Gomez-Hall, the long-term goal is to build a broader discovery platform focused on helping users navigate cities through personalized recommendations.

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Cyprus Expects More French Visitors In 2027 As Air Capacity Expands

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

September 18, 2026

Cyprus expects more French visitors in 2027 as airlines increase capacity between the two countries, Tourism Deputy Minister Kostas Koumis said after meetings with tour operators in Paris.

France, one of Cyprus’ key tourism markets, has had a difficult 2026. French arrivals fell 46% year over year to 8,453 in August, from 15,663 a year earlier, according to the Statistical Service of Cyprus (Cystat). August arrivals were also nearly 50% below the 16,798 recorded in the same month of 2024.

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Overall, Cyprus received 2.82 million tourist arrivals between January and August, down 7% from the same period in 2025.

Air Connectivity Supports 2027 Outlook

Koumis discussed the 2027 outlook with senior executives from tour operators offering Cyprus holidays during the IFTM Top Resa travel trade fair in Paris.

Higher air capacity between France and Cyprus was a key focus of the talks. Participants also discussed the impact of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East on the French market and Cyprus’ efforts to adapt its tourism offering to French travelers.

“The French market is undoubtedly an extremely important market for our country’s tourism,” Koumis said, adding that France had regained importance only a few years ago and still had room to grow.

Improved air connectivity will be an important factor in that expansion, according to Koumis. “It is now clear that air connectivity between France and Cyprus is improving significantly, which is a basic prerequisite for the further growth of the market,” he said.

Cyprus Promotes Tourism And Regional Cooperation

Koumis attended the opening of IFTM Top Resa at the invitation of French Tourism Minister Serge Papin, who later visited the Cyprus stand. Held from Sept. 15 to 17 at Paris Porte de Versailles, the event brought together more than 32,000 tourism professionals representing 177 destinations and 1,650 brands, according to organizers.

During his visit, Koumis also met Egyptian Tourism Minister Sherif Fathy. Cyprus and Egypt reaffirmed their tourism cooperation and discussed opportunities to strengthen ties further.

French media interviews covered Cyprus’ tourism offering, infrastructure and services, along with efforts to develop specialized tourism products. Regional instability weighed on arrivals in 2026, particularly during the spring, although the decline narrowed over the summer.