Hi Auto is the first virtual assistant / CEO Roy Baharav
Hi Auto, an Israeli AI-powered voice technology startup transforming the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry, has secured $15 million in a Series A funding round. The round was led by Delek Motors, the Zisapel Family, Vasuki Tech Fund, and a publicly traded strategic investor from the restaurant sector.
With this latest investment, Hi Auto’s total funding has reached $23 million. Additional investors include Allied Group, Goldbell Investments, and the Meir Barel Group. The company has also secured a $4 million credit line to accelerate growth and expansion.
Hi Auto’s AI-driven voice solutions are designed to enhance automation in drive-thrus and fast-food ordering, helping restaurants improve efficiency, reduce labor costs, and enhance customer experiences.
Will you offer us a hand? Every gift, regardless of size, fuels our future.
Your critical contribution enables us to maintain our independence from shareholders or wealthy owners, allowing us to keep up reporting without bias. It means we can continue to make Jewish Business News available to everyone.
You can support us for as little as $1 via PayPal at [email protected].
Thank you.
Founded in 2019 by serial entrepreneur Zohar Zisapel, an executive chairman and investor in the company, CEO Roy Baharav, and CTO Eyal Shapira, Hi Auto has raised $8 million and is currently planning for a Series A fundraising round in 2022. The company employs 40 people, the majority of whom work at its Tel Aviv development center
The system effectively performs the role of an exceptional employee, who never tires, is always on time, is always pleasant, and never forgets to propose upsells. Not only does the technology assist in resolving the labor shortage crisis facing the US restaurant sector, which is losing hundreds of thousands of workers each month, but it also significantly enhances restaurant performance when compared to a human employee.
For example, employee recordings revealed that they offer upsells on approximately 10% of sales, whereas the system does so on almost 70% of orders. Due to the fact that restaurants’ cost structures are mostly constituted of fixed costs, this shift has an immediate impact on the bottom line.
With the increasing cost of labor, especially California’s new $20/hour minimum wage for fast-food employees, Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) operators are struggling to maintain efficient and profitable drive-thrus. Hi Auto’s software-as-a-service platform provides a solution by automating order-taking with AI, achieving over 96% order accuracy and a 90%+ completion rate. This allows human employees to be redeployed to focus on food preparation and guest interaction.
“Rising labor costs and labor turnover continue to strain restaurant operations,” said Roy Baharav, CEO and co-founder of Hi Auto. “Our AI-powered ordering system acts like an always-available drive-thru specialist—one that never calls in sick, delivers near-perfect accuracy, and can upsell consistently. This funding will help us expand our footprint and refine our product as we become a trusted partner with leading QSR brands.”
Hi Auto’s customer roster includes iconic names such as Bojangles, Checkers & Rally’s, Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken, Burger King New Zealand, and Popeyes UK. In addition to these marquee customers, the company is running multiple paid pilots with top-tier QSR chains in the U.S. and abroad. Hi Auto’s leverages advanced noise-cancellation, and a specialized language model tuned to chaotic drive-thru environments, reducing order errors even amid indecisive customers, background chatter, car engines, or thunderstorms.
