Cheetah

What Cheetah does

Cheetah is a private B2B SaaS company that provides an AI-enabled eCommerce platform purpose-built for foodservice distributors. The company originated as a food distributor and in 2015 launched an AI-enabled platform to digitize foodservice ordering, subsequently transitioning fully into a technology vendor focused on building solutions for the farm-to-table journey. Its flagship product, the Cheetah eCommerce App, integrates directly with distributors' ERP and inventory management systems and layers digital catalogs, custom pricing rules, minimum order size enforcement, live inventory, AI-powered order transcription, and an AI Sales Assistant that recommends products and substitutions to grow basket size and prevent cart abandonment.

Cheetah monetizes primarily through SaaS subscriptions sold via a sales-led enterprise motion to foodservice distributors across the United States; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The platform is supported by a self-serve Shop portal (shop.gocheetah.com) that end-buyer restaurants use to place orders through their distributor. In July 2022 Cheetah acquired three Bay Area independent food distributors—Palo Alto Foods, Esteson, and Joseph Martin Foods—adding traditional distribution revenue and creating a physical Bay Area footprint that anchors its push to become a leading national foodservice distributor for independent restaurants. The company reports customer outcomes of up to a 20% increase in basket value and approximately ten new customers per sales representative per month.

Cheetah is venture-backed with cumulative funding exceeding $127M, including a $60M Series C in January 2022 co-led by Manna Tree and Sator Grove Holdings, and a roster of investors that includes Hanaco, Eclipse, Floodgate, ICONIQ Capital, Grupo Nutresa, AltaIR, Lineage Logistics, Y Combinator, Marker, and FJ Labs. The company is led by co-founder and CEO Na'ama Moran alongside co-founders Christopher Elliott (COO), Alon Har-Tal (CTO), and Vincent Matranga (COO).

Name

Cheetah

Legal name

Cheetah

Website

https://gocheetah.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cheetah is a B2B SaaS company providing an AI-enabled eCommerce platform for foodservice distributors, integrating with ERP systems to digitize ordering, pricing, and inventory workflows for distributors serving independent restaurants across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice Distribution Software

NAICS

Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (424460), Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (42446)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Restaurant Technology Supplies (POS Hardware, Kiosks) Wholesale (AFAIALAM)

Keywords

• Foodservice eCommerce
• Distributor ordering platform
• AI sales assistant
• B2B foodservice SaaS
• ERP-integrated ordering

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. SaaS Platform Subscription: Cheetah monetizes its eCommerce app as a software platform sold to foodservice distributors, with feature tiers (digital catalogs, AI Sales Assistant, ERP integration) and a relationship model oriented to multi-account B2B deployment.
2. Acquired Distribution Revenue: Following acquisitions of Palo Alto Foods, Esteson, and Joseph Martin Foods in 2022, Cheetah operates acquired foodservice distribution businesses serving independent restaurants in the Bay Area, generating traditional distribution revenue alongside its SaaS platform.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cheetah sells an AI-enabled eCommerce SaaS platform purpose-built for foodservice distributors. The platform integrates with distributors' ERP and inventory management systems to provide digital catalogs, custom pricing, live inventory, AI-powered product recommendations and substitutions, and automated order transcription, enabling distributors to grow basket size, reduce order errors, and equip their sales reps to acquire new restaurant accounts. Following 2022 acquisitions, Cheetah also operates acquired Bay Area foodservice distribution businesses (Palo Alto Foods, Esteson, Joseph Martin Foods).

Product overview

Cheetah offers a single unified eCommerce platform for food distributors, augmented by a set of AI-powered capabilities built directly into the app. The core product is the Cheetah eCommerce App, which sits on top of distributors' existing ERP or inventory systems and unifies the ordering workflow. Layered into that core platform are the AI-powered Sales Assistant (delivering product recommendations and out-of-stock substitutions to grow basket size) and AI-powered order transcription (which automates order capture and placement). Acquired distributor brands — Palo Alto Foods, Esteson, and Joseph Martin Foods — operate as part of Cheetah's nationwide foodservice distribution footprint that the platform serves.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Palo Alto Foods: Acquired independent food distributor in the Bay Area (Palo Alto / Peninsula), retained as a sub-brand under Cheetah's foodservice distribution operations.
• Esteson
• Joseph Martin Foods

Products and services

• Cheetah eCommerce App An AI-enabled eCommerce app purpose-built for foodservice distributors. It provides digital catalogs, custom pricing and minimum order rules, live inventory, AI-powered order transcription, and integration with the distributor's ERP or inventory management system to streamline ordering and fulfillment.
• Palo Alto Foods (acquired foodservice distribution brand) Independent foodservice distribution business in the Bay Area (Palo Alto / Peninsula), serving independent restaurants. Acquired and operated by Cheetah as part of its nationwide foodservice distribution footprint.
• Esteson (acquired foodservice distribution brand) Independent foodservice distribution business in the Bay Area, serving independent restaurants. Acquired and operated by Cheetah as part of its nationwide foodservice distribution footprint.
• Joseph Martin Foods (acquired foodservice distribution brand) Independent foodservice distribution business in the Bay Area, serving independent restaurants. Acquired and operated by Cheetah as part of its nationwide foodservice distribution footprint.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 20% increase in basket value for food distributors using the platform
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Choco: Choco is a B2B food ordering platform connecting restaurants with food suppliers and distributors. It targets the same foodservice distributor/restaurant workflow as Cheetah's eCommerce app and competes directly for the same B2B SaaS budget.
• Cut+Dry (formerly BlueCart): Cut+Dry is a B2B foodservice eCommerce and order management platform serving distributors and restaurant operators. It is the closest direct competitor to Cheetah, offering digital catalogs, ordering, and ERP integration to the same foodservice distributor customer base.
• Pepper: Pepper is a B2B eCommerce platform purpose-built for food distributors, providing digital storefronts, ordering, and account management. It competes directly with Cheetah's platform for the same foodservice distributor SaaS wallet.
• Freshop: Freshop provides online grocery and foodservice eCommerce storefronts, fulfillment, and marketing tools to retailers and distributors. It overlaps with Cheetah's eCommerce app functionality for distributor-led ordering workflows.

Broad incumbents

• Sysco: Sysco is the largest US broadline foodservice distributor and a potential customer, competitor, or acquirer of Cheetah. It dwarfs Cheetah in scale and represents the type of incumbent Cheetah's distributor customers sell into.
• US Foods: US Foods is a major broadline foodservice distributor operating nationwide. As a large incumbent, it competes with the distributors Cheetah serves and is also a potential enterprise customer or strategic acquirer for the SaaS platform.
• Performance Food Group: Performance Food Group is a major US foodservice and convenience distributor. It is comparable to Cheetah's acquired distribution footprint (Palo Alto Foods, Esteson, Joseph Martin Foods) in business model but operates at vastly larger scale.
• Gordon Food Service: Gordon Food Service is a broadline foodservice distributor serving independent restaurants and other operators across North America. Comparable to Cheetah's distribution sub-brands in customer base, with national scale Cheetah aspires to reach.

Emerging players

• Restaurant365: Restaurant365 is a cloud-based restaurant management platform for accounting, inventory, and operations. It serves the same independent restaurant end-customers Cheetah's distributor customers sell to, making it a partial-overlap adjacent player.
• MarketMan: MarketMan is a restaurant inventory and supplier management platform connecting operators with their distributors. It overlaps with Cheetah's downstream restaurant-facing functionality and is a potential partner or competitor for the supplier ordering workflow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gocheetah
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cheetah

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors16 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cheetah