TabSense raises $5 million for AI-powered restaurant platform
Saudi startup secures funding for agentic point-of-sale system
#SaudiArabia #funding - Riyadh-based restaurant technology startup TabSense has raised $5 million in a funding round led by Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund-backed venture capital firm Jasoor Ventures to develop what it describes as an AI Agentic point-of-sale platform for restaurants and cafés. Founded in 2024 by Mohammed Jaber, the company’s AI-powered system uses autonomous agents that streamline operations, optimise menus, automate management tasks and provide real-time insights, positioning itself as a digital teammate rather than a traditional transaction recording system.
SO WHAT? - The investment provide first evidence that venture capital investors are purposely selecting AI startups that are trying to disrupt market segments across industries. The restaurant management sector already has a number of key players, including Middle East startups. However, the appeal of an agentic AI platform that targets this segment is that it might offer significant benefits over incumbent market leaders and so gain market share.
Here are some key details about the funding round:
Riyadh-based restaurant technology startup TabSense has raised $5 million in a funding round led by Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund-backed venture capital firm Jasoor Ventures to develop what it describes as an AI Agentic point-of-sale platform for restaurants and cafés.
TabSense was founded in 2024 by Mohammed Jaber, developing an AI-powered point-of-sale platform purpose-built for multi-branch and franchise restaurant and café operations across the Middle East and North Africa region.
The platform combines full-stack cloud infrastructure with generative AI agents that automate management functions, aiming to reduce back-office costs whilst enabling restaurant owners and managers to operate leaner, more efficient businesses without compromising quality or control.
Unlike traditional point-of-sale systems that record transactions, TabSense deploys autonomous AI agents that handle complex, time-consuming management aspects including menu optimisation, product recommendations and customer behaviour analysis in real time.
The system provides actionable insights and intelligent automation designed to help restaurant operators scale businesses into multi-branch or franchise operations whilst expanding faster and operating more efficiently than manual management approaches.
TabSense currently serves multi-branch and franchise restaurants and cafés across Saudi Arabia and Jordan, with plans to expand regionally across MENA markets and internationally, though specific expansion targets were not disclosed.
The $5 million funding round will accelerate product innovation, expand regional sales across Saudi Arabia and Jordan where TabSense currently operates, and grow the startup’s full-stack engineering and AI teams to advance agentic intelligence capabilities.
ZOOM OUT - Restaurant technology has become an increasingly competitive sector across Gulf markets as operators adopt cloud-based systems to manage multi-location operations and integrate with delivery platforms. Saudi Arabia’s food and beverage sector has expanded rapidly over the past five years, with rising demand for dining options and café culture driving restaurant openings whilst creating operational challenges for chains managing multiple branches.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]