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Transforming the
FE&S Industry

About

Centerpiece

We are a technology company dedicated to the Foodservice Equipment and Supply Industry (FE&S).  FE&S refers to any item in a commercial kitchen that isn't food or drinks.  This is a large and important industry that impacts the quality of every outside-the-home dining experience.

While there has been major technology investment in restaurant operations, there has been little in their key suppliers: FE&S dealers & manufacturers. These entities, which represent ~$40bn of annual spend, are powered by decades-old software and spreadsheets. There has been no new major technology entrant supporting these companies in 40 years. Centerpiece is changing that.

Our Mission

Our objective is to replace the legacy technology stack powering this industry with a connected software platform ("Centerpiece") that turbocharges the industry.

Our Approach

Technology, no matter how impressive the functionality, is useless if it is not solving a real problem.  We succeed only if our customers succeed so our first step is understanding their needs. We then work backwards to identify and build the technology that best solves them.

We will treat everyday as Day 1, constantly focused on the long-term.  Almost always the hardest problems cannot be solved quickly.  Many companies will not invest in product development if it does not yield easy and immediate profit. Not us.  

By thinking in years, not quarters, we can focus on solving the toughest problems in the FE&S industry.

Built by Experts

Sam Grote

Founder & chief executive officer

Our Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Sam Grote, is an experienced technology investor and entrepreneur. Prior to launching Centerpiece, he was a Director at TriMark USA, a leading FE&S distributor in the US, where he built technology applications used by over 100 front-line professionals and executives.

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Heesh Naim

Chief Technology Officer

Heesh has more than 20 years of experience as an engineering leader building technology systems and teams from scratch. He began his career at Motorola Solutions where he became their Lead Software Architect, advising senior leadership on technology strategy and  managing a global team of 65+ engineers.

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Chris Derossi

Technical Advisor

Chris has more than 30 years of experience as an engineering leader building technology systems and teams from scratch. Early in his career, he was the Chief Architect for MacOS at Apple where he was granted seven patents. After Apple, he was Founder and CEO of CyberArts, a real-money gaming software company.

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Mike Cardamone

Investor & mentor

Mike is the CEO and Managing Partner of Forum Ventures, a leading early-stage venture capital firm focused on B2B software startups. Founded in 2014, Forum has invested and advised over 250 companies that have gone on to raise over $360 million of capital.

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Backed By Experts

Backed By
Experts

B Capital Group

B Capital Group is a multi-stage global investment firm that invests in companies transforming large traditional industries. They leverage a global team of seasoned experts and have a strategic partnership with Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

He then was a founding member of a technology-focused hedge fund that he helped grow from $25 million of assets to $350 million. Most recently, he was a Director at TriMark USA, the leading FES distributor in the U.S., where he built technology applications used by over 100 sales, estimators, and executives across the Company.

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Forum Ventures

Forum Ventures is a leading early-stage venture capital firm focused on enterprise software startups.  Founded in 2014, Forum has invested and advised over 250 early-stage software companies.

He then was a founding member of a technology-focused hedge fund that he helped grow from $25 million of assets to $350 million. Most recently, he was a Director at TriMark USA, the leading FES distributor in the U.S., where he built technology applications used by over 100 sales, estimators, and executives across the Company.

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