Zomato buys logistics tech startup Sparse

Online restaurant discovery and food-ordering platform Zomato seem to be continuing their acquisitions—this time, they have bought out Bangalore-based logistics technology startup Sparse Labs to help strengthen its delivery systems.

In a blog published by Zomato, it has revealed, “Sparse Labs has developed a lightweight Android-based app, which transmits a rider’s location to both the restaurant and the user in real time. The rider can use the app to receive route information, which helps ensure quicker and more efficient deliveries. Pankaj Batra, the founder of Sparse Labs has bootstrapped his product for over a year now and is much loved by all his customers. He will continue developing his vision at Zomato.”

Joining forces with Sparse Labs allows Zomato to significantly improve the food ordering experience on the app, by giving users real-time GPS-based status updates on their order. At the restaurant end, this technology will help make deliveries highly cost- and time-efficient, allowing them to optimise delivery routes and ensuring minimal wait time for riders.

Sparse Labs will be renamed as Zomato Trace, and we will be rolling out the service free of cost to Zomato’s restaurant partners.