'This is kind of controversial, but…'
Slang CEO Alex Sambvani on a potentially polarizing new voice AI feature and his company's $36m raise
I know it’s going to be a good newsletter day when an interview subject says: “So this is kind of controversial, but I think it’s going to be good.”
Alex Sambvani is co-founder and CEO of Slang, a voice AI platform for restaurants that announced a $36 million Series B funding round in late February. The raise brings Slang’s total funding to $68 million and, per Sambvani, will fund more development, more product features, and more insights for restaurants.
Slang got its start answering the phone at restaurants; voice AI to free up a host inside a restaurant, answering the phone and offering guests (and potential guests) fast answers to common — and even not-so-common — questions. It now does this for over 2,000 restaurants, fielding over 25 million phone calls and counting. Slang integrates with platforms including OpenTable and SevenRooms with more to come [👀]; guests can initiate a reservation over the phone, and Slang will tap real-time availability to book the table and confirm via voice and text message.
Anyway, back to the potential controversy: a feature called host insights:
“We are starting to record and monitor host-to-guest communications using AI, Sambvani explained.