French restaurant technology company Malou has raised more than $10m in a funding round to support its domestic and international expansion.

The funding round was led by investors, including henQ, Bleu Capital, Bertrand Jelensperger, Jim Texier and several restaurant clients.

With this latest capital infusion, Malou plans to expedite its growth in France, enhance its product functionality and expand internationally in the Middle East, Europe and the US.

henQ partner Mick Mackaay said: “Malou's team has been able to translate their deep understanding of marketing for restaurants into a 'hyper-verticalised' solution which optimises all aspects of a restaurant's online presence automatically.

“This leads to more visitors without forcing owners to become marketing experts. The team has further impressed us with their ability to get this solution into the hands of many restaurants, a notoriously hard target group to sell to.”

Malou has been offering tailored digital marketing solutions exclusively for the restaurant industry since 2021.

It integrates restaurants' Google page, social media profiles, listing and delivery platforms into one centralised hub.

Malou then makes use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to analyse and generate responses to customer reviews, generate social media posts and maintain consistent information to enhance restaurants' online presence.

The company currently has more than 2,000 restaurants on board across 12 countries, including independents, food chains, top chefs and high-profile restaurant groups.

Malou co-founder and CEO Louiza Hacene said: “Malou is dedicated to providing the tools to help restaurants connect with potential customers and maintain their relationships with their existing customers and this new funding will allow us to further improve our product, expand our team and increase our market reach, especially in the US.”