CIT GAP Funds invests in Curbside Kitchen as the startup responds to coronavirus

Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) announced that its early-stage fund, CIT GAP Funds, has invested in Tysons, Virginia-based Curbside Kitchen, developer of a platform to connect food trucks with owners of commercial offices and multi-family residential buildings.

The company was founded in 2017 and last August also nabbed an investment from CIT’s Virginia Founders Fund, which supports companies with female, minority or veteran founders, or other entrepreneurs located in regions outside of Northern Virginia. Curbside Kitchen CEO Amy Katz said in a news release that the company has been able to quickly roll out mobile and text ordering in the last year with the financial support from CIT.

The financial terms of the new investment were not disclosed, but Curbside Kitchen said it plans to use the fresh funding to expand its business operations.

“As our communities deal with new challenges related to coronavirus, including lifestyle changes such as avoiding restaurants, Curbside Kitchen is proud to connect multi-family building owners with food solutions for their residents as well as waive fees for food trucks as a way to support the many small businesses that rely on opportunities to vend,” said Katz in a statement.

The company normally partners with building owners and property managers to offer a variety of dining options from food trucks, attracting customers who are looking for a quick bite while at work. But because of the global crisis, Curbside Kitchen is now focused on serving multi-family properties to offer more dining options to residents practicing social distancing.

“CIT is proud of each of our portfolio companies that are stepping up in a variety of ways to help during this pandemic,” said Jennifer O’Daniel, investment director at CIT GAP Funds. “Curbside Kitchen is absolutely living up to their mission to ‘meet on the curb for a meal’ as they fill a gap in food access that is being exacerbated by coronavirus.”

In another effort to aid in the fight against COVID-19, Curbside Kitchen is partnering with Fuel the Fight DC to bring its food truck experience to healthcare providers in the DMV region. Last Friday, the company teamed up with Fava Pot, one of its food truck partners, to deliver 50 donated meals to healthcare professionals working in Georgetown Hospital’s oncology department.