What Simple Venue does

Simple Venue is a national hospitality development group founded in 2019 and headquartered in New York. The company operates a two-sided model: on one side, it partners with hotels, developers, and property owners to transform underutilized or underperforming spaces (rooftops, abandoned bars, unrentable rooms, closets) into experiential food, beverage, and retail destinations, providing turn-key execution spanning staffing, design, marketing, and operations. On the other side, it partners with food, beverage, retail, and experiential concept brands to provide strategic real estate placement, capital for buildout and expansion, and hands-on marketing, finance, and operations support, enabling founders to scale nationally without sacrificing creative control. The company describes the deal structure as revenue-sharing or development arrangements with property owners and aligned-incentive terms with brand partners.

The company's flagship proof-of-concept is Sushi by Bou, an experiential micro-restaurant concept operated within hotel properties at high-profile locations including the Versace Mansion in Miami, Suite 1001 in NYC, and Hotel Lincoln in Chicago. Sushi by Bou is positioned as a showcase of Simple Venue's ability to convert overlooked real estate into media-covered, in-demand destinations. The leadership team consists of Founder Michael Sinensky, Partner and CEO Erika London, Chief Hospitality Officer Richie Romero, and VP of Development Dan Zelkowitz. The advisory board includes Gary Vaynerchuk (Vaynermedia), Jeffery R. Gural (Chairman, Newmark Knight Frank), Scott Miller (G100 Companies), Scott Gerber (Community.co), and Andrew Fox (Track Entertainment).

Commercially, Simple Venue runs an enterprise B2B field sales motion, engaging hoteliers, developers, and brand founders directly through a website lead form and direct outreach. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, no parent company, and approximately $1.19M in funding raised as of October 2023. Headcount is reported at 1-10 employees, with the leadership team claiming 100+ years of collective experience across operations, marketing, branding, development, finance, real estate, and strategy. No AI/ML, proprietary technology platform, or recurring SaaS revenue stream is disclosed; the model is fundamentally operational, real estate-driven, and project-based, with media coverage in Forbes, CNBC, Restaurant Hospitality, Chicago Tribune, and Haute Living serving as a primary brand-building channel.

Name

Simple Venue

Website

https://simplevenue.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Simple Venue is a national hospitality development group that transforms underutilized hotel and real estate spaces into experiential food, beverage, and retail concepts for property owners and brand partners seeking to scale nationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Development Services

NAICS

Food Services and Drinking Places (722), Caterers (722320), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Special Food Services (7223)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Venue Food, Beverage & Hospitality Operations (Concessions, Catering, Premium Seating) (MPAGALAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hotel & Resort Restaurants (THAFACAH), Nightlife Venue Groups & Operators (Multi-Location) (MPAGAIAL), Party Venue Sourcing & Booking Services (HSACACAL)

Keywords

• Hospitality development services
• Micro restaurant concepts
• Property activation services
• Brand scaling partnerships
• Food and beverage licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hospitality Development Services: Revenue generated from transforming underutilized hotel and property spaces into experiential food, beverage, and retail concepts. The company provides turn-key execution including staffing, design, marketing, and operations, creating new revenue streams from previously unusable spaces with minimal capital investment and low infrastructure lift from property owners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Simple Venue creates, markets, licenses, and operates micro food and beverage concepts to transform underutilized or underperforming real estate spaces (hotel rooms, rooftops, closets, abandoned bars) into recurring revenue hospitality destinations. The company provides turn-key execution—staffing, design, marketing, and operations—to property owners while also funding and scaling concept brands through prime real estate placement and operational support.

Product overview

Simple Venue is a national hospitality development group offering a unified service platform for transforming underutilized real estate into experiential food, beverage, and retail destinations. The company operates two interconnected service offerings: (1) Property Activation Services for hotels, developers, and property owners—providing turn-key execution from staffing and design to marketing and operations to transform forgotten spaces into high-impact destinations; and (2) Brand Partnership Services for concept creators—offering prime real estate placement, capital funding, and expert operational support to help bold brands scale. The company also operates the Sushi by Bou restaurant concept as an example of their hospitality model, demonstrating their ability to create buzz and build brands in overlooked real estate.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sushi by Bou: An experiential sushi restaurant concept operated within hotel properties, including locations at the Versace Mansion, Suite 1001 NYC, and Hotel Lincoln Chicago.

Products and services

• Property Activation Services
• Brand Partnership & Scaling Services
• Sushi by Bou

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered advisory and flagship.

• Scott MilleradvisoryOthersAdvisory board member. CEO of G100 Companies, providing strategic guidance on business development and growth strategy.
• Jeffery R. GuraladvisoryOthersAdvisory board member. Chairman at Newmark Knight Frank, providing real estate industry expertise and connections.
• Gary VaynerchukadvisoryOthersAdvisory board member. CEO & Cofounder of Vaynermedia, providing marketing and branding expertise.
• Scott GerberadvisoryOthersAdvisory board member. CEO of Community.co and Managing Partner at Brandnext, providing community and brand development expertise.
• Andrew FoxadvisoryOthersAdvisory board member. Track Entertainment, providing entertainment and hospitality industry expertise.
• Sushi By BouflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlagship brand concept developed and operated by Simple Venue. Notable locations include the iconic Versace Mansion and Suite 1001 in NYC. Represents the company's proof-of-concept for transforming unconventional spaces into acclaimed sushi dining experiences.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tao Group Hospitality: Operates restaurants, lounges, and nightlife venues in hotels and premium real estate (Tao, Avenue, Lavo). Closest analog to Simple Venue's model of placing branded F&B concepts in high-end hotel and venue spaces.
• Hakkasan Group: Operates upscale restaurants and lounges in hotels and resort settings globally. Compares directly with Simple Venue's premise of placing branded hospitality concepts inside third-party venue real estate.
• The ONE Group Hospitality: Operates STK, Kona Grill, and other upscale concepts frequently in hotel and high-traffic locations. Comparable as a multi-brand hospitality developer-operator that activates premium real estate with proprietary concepts.
• Catch Hospitality Group: Operates Catch NYC and other multi-concept restaurant venues including in hotel and rooftop settings. Comparable as a multi-location hospitality operator activating non-traditional real estate with branded concepts.
• Sage Hospitality: Hotel management company that develops proprietary F&B concepts for its managed properties (e.g., beverages in hotel lobbies, rooftop bars). Directly comparable to Simple Venue's property activation model with operational F&B expertise.
• Boka Restaurant Group: Chicago-based multi-concept restaurant group operating venues inside hotels (Boka, Girl & The Goat). Comparable as a hospitality operator-developer partnering with property owners on branded concepts.
• Pyramid Hotel Group: Hotel management company that partners with property owners to develop F&B and reposition underperforming assets. Directly analogous to Simple Venue's hotel/property owner activation business line.

Broad incumbents

• The Standard International: Lifestyle hotel brand with iconic proprietary F&B and nightlife venues embedded in each property. Overlaps with Simple Venue's "premium hotel + standout F&B concept" formula but as a larger, established hospitality brand.
• Ennismore (sbe): Lifestyle hospitality group operating branded hotels with embedded F&B and nightlife concepts. Broader incumbent version of Simple Venue's hotel-centric F&B development thesis.
• Hyatt Hotels Corporation: Major hotel chain with curated F&B programming across its portfolio, including non-traditional in-hotel concepts. Functions as a large-scale incumbent with the resources to develop branded F&B that competes for the same hotel real estate Simple Venue activates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/simplevenue

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Simple Venue