Button raises $12M to grow its ecosystem of connected on-demand services

Fledgling startup Button is creating a digital ecosystem where you can initiate ordering a cab from the same mobile app where you booked a dinner reservation. Now with a fresh $12 million under its belt, Button can build out the team it needs to refine its technology and onboard more partners.

When the company unveiled its technology last October, it launched with just one partner: Uber. With a few lines of code, Button said it could allow a mobile app to offer its customer a ride with Uber after a transaction. For a customer, that means a card will pop up asking if you want to either download or book a car with Uber after your book a dinner reservation. Plus, cofounder and CEO Michael Jaconi said, Button’s in-app recommendations are smart.

“We’ll try to always contextualize where you are and what you’re doing,” he said. For instance, if you place an order through Drizly for wine and beer delivery, Button will not likely promote a ride with Uber. But it might connect you to WunWun’s everything delivery service for food and other party accoutrements.

Already Button partners with Uber, Resy, GlamSquad, WunWun, Drizly, Hello Vino, Zeel, and Tablelist.

Companies get paid for driving new business to other on-demand services, and Button takes a cut. As an example, Rezy gets paid when it drives transactions for Uber.

To further enhance the consumer experience, Button wants to be able to offer consumers discounts and deals. Let’s say, after I purchase a blow-out through on-demand beauty service GlamSquad, Button serves me a card for Resy along with a $10 coupon for dinner that evening.

“Your $10 is going to automatically be applied to your transaction,” said Jaconi. Button’s CartAdjust technology will automatically adjustment your cart total, so you don’t have to do additional work like adding a promo code.

To facilitate this technology, Button wants a larger staff. Already the company has 10 employees, many of whom hail from payment processing companies like PayPal, Google Wallet, Braintree, and Venmo. Its next hires may be more focused on data scientists to refine Button’s recommendations.

The round was led by Redpoint Ventures with participation from Greycroft, DCM, VaynerRSE, Slow Ventures, and former NBA commissioner David Stern.