Startup profile for Blackbird: latest funding, latest known valuation, total disclosed funding, investors, status, sources, and why the company is interesting. Part of the Venture Capital Tracker startup directory.
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Blackbird funding, valuation and investors

Restaurant loyalty and payments network with web3 rails (Blackbird Labs).

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Funding, valuation & investors

Answer-first snapshot

Latest funding

Series B

$50M · April 2025

Latest known valuation

Not publicly disclosed

Total disclosed equity funding

$85M

Excludes debt, grants, acquisitions, secondaries, and IPO proceeds.

Current status

private

series b · New York, New York

Investors in latest funding

Lead: Spark Capital

Other: Andreessen Horowitz

Sources: latest funding Last verified: 2026-07-25

Overview

Blackbird Labs builds a restaurant loyalty and payments network where diners check in via NFC, earn $FLY rewards on Base, and restaurants get CRM and payment rails without legacy POS lock-in. Founded by Resy co-founder Ben Leventhal, the company raised $11M seed (2022), $24M Series A led by a16z crypto (2023), and $50M Series B led by Spark Capital (2025). Blackbird tests whether web3 rails can improve hospitality loyalty beyond punch-card apps.

Why Blackbird is interesting

Resy co-founder Ben Leventhal rebuilding diner–restaurant relationships with NFC check-ins and $FLY rewards on Base — Spark-led $50M Series B in 2025.

Product & use cases

Blackbird's mobile app lets diners NFC check-in at partner restaurants, earn $FLY token rewards on Base, and pay tabs — giving restaurants guest CRM, loyalty tiers, and payment data without replacing their POS.

  • Restaurant loyalty programs with tokenized rewards and tier status
  • NFC check-in for guest identification and visit tracking
  • Direct diner–restaurant relationship outside delivery app intermediaries

Key facts

  • Seed (Oct 2022): $11M co-led by Union Square Ventures and Multicoin (CoinDesk)
  • Series A (Oct 2023): $24M led by a16z crypto with USV follow-on (PR Newswire)
  • Series B (Apr 2025): $50M led by Spark Capital; a16z re-upped (TechCrunch)

Funding history (newest first)

Series B

2025-04 $50M

Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/02/blackbird-a-web3-powered-restaurant-loyalty-platform-raises-50m-series-b/

Series A

2023-10 $24M

Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blackbird-labs-raises-24-million-series-a-round-from-a16z-amex-ventures-and-more-to-help-transform-the-way-restaurants-approach-diner-loyalty-301946664.html

Seed

2022-10 $11M

Source: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/10/06/restaurant-focused-web3-startup-blackbird-raises-11m/

Investors in our directory

Funds linked from Blackbird's profile — open a fund page for stage focus and related deal articles.

Andreessen Horowitz Union Square Ventures Multicoin Capital Spark Capital

Competitive landscape

Edge: Hospitality-native product from Resy founder with crypto rails optional — restaurants get CRM value even if diners ignore token economics.

Restaurant loyalty is crowded but most solutions are POS-tied or delivery-platform owned. Blackbird's bet is a network layer with crypto incentives — viable if token rewards drive repeat visits, risky if restaurants only want simple CRM without blockchain complexity.

  • Toast Loyalty incumbent

    POS-integrated loyalty for restaurants already on Toast; Blackbird is POS-agnostic.

  • Square Loyalty incumbent

    Bundled with Square payments; Blackbird targets independent and fine-dining venues.

  • Beli adjacent

    Social restaurant discovery app; overlaps on diner engagement but not payments.

Notable stories

  • Founder Ben Leventhal co-created Resy before selling to American Express — bringing reservation-industry relationships to loyalty.
  • Blackbird launched $FLY rewards on Coinbase's Base L2, making it one of the highest-profile consumer crypto hospitality apps.
  • Amex Ventures participated in Series A — ironic given Leventhal's prior Resy exit to Amex.

Industries

Crypto & Web3 Fintech Marketplaces Consumer

FAQs about Blackbird

Practical answers founders, operators, and investors typically search for.

Blackbird connects diners and restaurants through a mobile app and NFC check-ins, layering loyalty rewards ($FLY token on Base) and payments on top of hospitality CRM.
Union Square Ventures (/fund/union-square-ventures) and Multicoin Capital (/fund/multicoin-capital) co-led the seed. Andreessen Horowitz (/fund/andreessen-horowitz) led the $24M Series A; Spark Capital (/fund/spark-capital) led the $50M Series B in 2025.
$FLY is Blackbird's reward token on Base (Coinbase L2) that diners earn through restaurant check-ins and can redeem for perks.
Series B as of April 2025 ($50M). Founded by Resy co-founder Ben Leventhal; the company remains private.
Toast Loyalty requires Toast POS; Blackbird works across restaurant types with NFC check-in and optional crypto rewards.
It tests whether web3 rails can improve restaurant–diner relationships beyond punch cards — loyalty, payments, and identity in one network from a proven hospitality operator.
Ben Leventhal, co-founder of Resy (acquired by American Express).
No — Blackbird Labs remains a private company.
At least $85M across seed ($11M), Series A ($24M), and Series B ($50M) per press releases.
Blackbird launched in New York City and expanded to additional U.S. restaurant markets.
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