Prefix raises $7.5M to fix $500B facility management problem for restaurants and retailers

A broken air conditioner on a summer afternoon can shut down a restaurant in minutes. For large chains running hundreds of locations, moments like that add up fast. Lost revenue, frustrated customers, and stressed staff all trace back to a problem most brands still haven’t solved: keeping physical locations running without friction.

That gap is exactly what startup Prefix is going after.

The New York–based company announced it has raised a $7.5 million seed round co-led by Collide Capital and Slow Ventures, with participation from Connexa Capital, Kyle Archer of Elevated Inc, and existing investors I2BF and Bienville Capital. The new funding will support continued development of its AI infrastructure, expand go-to-market efforts, and help the company scale beyond its current footprint toward 10,000 locations across the U.S.

Facility management may not grab headlines, yet it’s massive. Multi-location restaurant and retail brands spend roughly $500 billion each year maintaining their spaces. Despite this, many operators still lose more than 10% of their profit margins to inefficiencies, miscommunication, and outdated systems. Coordinating thousands of vendors across different regions remains messy, and even the best local technicians often struggle to meet the compliance standards required by large brands.

Prefix positions itself as the layer that connects those worlds.

A $500B problem: Startup Prefix raises $7.5M to fix broken facility management

Instead of asking companies to replace their existing systems, Prefix plugs into them. Its platform acts as a coordination hub between operators and local service providers, using agentic AI to handle communication, scheduling, and task tracking. The goal is simple: get repairs done faster, at a lower cost, with fewer breakdowns.

The company focuses on high-stakes services like HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing, and electrical work—areas where delays can shut down operations. Prefix manages the full lifecycle of a job, from initial request to technician check-in, completion updates, and invoicing, all within a single workflow that both sides can track in real time.

“We set out to alleviate the most significant headaches in multi-site facility management by improving the flow of data, communication, and service. We are providing a critical layer that helps to optimize operations both in the stores, and in the back-office,” said Prefix CEO Jared Schwartzentruber. “Facility uptime is mission critical to every location. A busted air conditioning unit on a hot summer day means operators can’t open that day and the brand faces lost revenue, erosion of customer trust, and employee dissatisfaction. We’re on a mission to make facilities work effortless, making life easier for businesses and the local professionals that service them.”

That pitch is already landing with customers. Since launch, Prefix has grown to support nearly 2,000 locations across 50 brands, including names like Bojangles, Chipotle, Raising Cane’s, Punch Bowl Social, Salad & Go, Famous Footwear, L’Occitane, and Chuze Fitness. Franchise groups such as Sizzling Platter, Gilligan Co., and Elevated Huts have also joined.

The company says it reached $2.5 million in annual recurring revenue within two years, posting 500% year-over-year growth. Some customers report threefold efficiency gains and cost savings exceeding 15%, numbers that speak directly to the margin pressure operators face.

For teams on the ground, the appeal is less about AI and more about reliability.

“Prefix removes the uncertainty from facilities management. An issue during peak hours is an immediate problem. Their 24/7 emergency support, real-time work order visibility, and dedicated account manager who knows our operations have given our team something straightforward but hard to find – confidence that the job is handled,” said Newell Slade, Senior Facilities Manager at Cafe Zupas, which has rolled out the platform across 100 locations in eight states.

Investors see the opportunity in the coordination layer itself. Managing hundreds or thousands of vendors across different geographies creates friction that most legacy systems haven’t addressed.

“Multi-site operators are managing hundreds — sometimes thousands — of vendors across vastly different geographies, each with their own communication preferences, pricing structures, and compliance capabilities,” said Brian Hollins, Founder and Managing Partner of Collide Capital. “What makes Prefix so compelling is that it solves the coordination problem at scale — acting as the connective tissue between large brands and the best local technicians in every market they operate in. Prefix creates a single, consistent layer of service delivery wherever a brand has locations. That kind of geographic reach and operational consistency is what separates growing multi-site brands from truly scalable ones.”

Prefix is betting that fixing the day-to-day headaches of physical operations can unlock real value for large brands. If it works, the payoff won’t come from flashy features. It will show up in fewer breakdowns, faster repairs, and locations that stay open when it matters most.