Key Takeaways
- • 404 Endeavors, a technology-focused investment firm founded by Elie Javice and Andrew Hudis, has made a strategic investment in PrepWizard, a cloud-based restaurant food safety labeling platform headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee.
- • PrepWizard digitizes food safety compliance by replacing handwritten tape labels on prep containers with cloud-based, date-coded labels that reduce labor hours, minimize food waste, and lower inspection failure risk across tens of thousands of restaurant locations.
- • The company, founded by Doug Harris and his sons Cole Harris (president) and Eli Harris (chief technology officer), operates dual revenue streams: its core PrepWizard labeling system and WorkWizard, a digital operations platform for multi-unit restaurant operators.
- • 404 Endeavors pursues a concentrated investment strategy, focusing proprietary capital exclusively on technology businesses serving restaurants and multi-unit operators, with one platform at a time, positioning PrepWizard as a core holding in its portfolio.
- • Brown Gibbons Lang & Company served as financial advisor on the transaction; specific investment terms were not disclosed.
Summary
404 Endeavors has invested in PrepWizard, a Knoxville-based software platform that addresses a fundamental operational inefficiency in restaurant food safety compliance. The company replaces manual handwritten labeling on food prep containers with an automated, cloud-based system that generates accurate, date-coded food safety labels. This shift delivers measurable operational benefits: reduced labor hours, decreased food waste, and lowered risk of health inspection failures—critical metrics for multi-unit restaurant operators managing compliance at scale.
PrepWizard was founded by Doug Harris alongside his sons Cole Harris and Eli Harris, who currently serve as president and chief technology officer, respectively. The platform has achieved significant market penetration, with deployment across tens of thousands of restaurant locations. Beyond its core labeling solution, the company offers WorkWizard, a complementary digital operations platform designed to streamline administrative workflows for multi-unit operators, creating a bundled software ecosystem.
404 Endeavors, co-founded by Elie Javice and Andrew Hudis, operates with a disciplined investment thesis focused on technology solutions for restaurant and multi-unit operator segments. The firm deploys proprietary capital and maintains concentrated exposure to its portfolio companies, prioritizing depth of engagement over portfolio breadth by backing one platform at a time. Javice stated confidence in the business fundamentals built by the Harris family and noted alignment on long-term strategic vision as key factors in the investment decision.
The transaction was facilitated by Brown Gibbons Lang & Company in a financial advisory capacity. Investment terms, valuation, and equity structure were not disclosed in available sources. The investment reflects broader capital allocation trends toward software solutions addressing operational compliance and labor efficiency in the restaurant technology sector.
PrepWizard was founded by Doug Harris alongside his sons Cole Harris and Eli Harris, who currently serve as president and chief technology officer, respectively. The platform has achieved significant market penetration, with deployment across tens of thousands of restaurant locations. Beyond its core labeling solution, the company offers WorkWizard, a complementary digital operations platform designed to streamline administrative workflows for multi-unit operators, creating a bundled software ecosystem.
404 Endeavors, co-founded by Elie Javice and Andrew Hudis, operates with a disciplined investment thesis focused on technology solutions for restaurant and multi-unit operator segments. The firm deploys proprietary capital and maintains concentrated exposure to its portfolio companies, prioritizing depth of engagement over portfolio breadth by backing one platform at a time. Javice stated confidence in the business fundamentals built by the Harris family and noted alignment on long-term strategic vision as key factors in the investment decision.
The transaction was facilitated by Brown Gibbons Lang & Company in a financial advisory capacity. Investment terms, valuation, and equity structure were not disclosed in available sources. The investment reflects broader capital allocation trends toward software solutions addressing operational compliance and labor efficiency in the restaurant technology sector.
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