# Randall Hom

> Randall Hom is the San Francisco product designer, restaurateur, and co-founder and CEO of Hostie, an AI virtual concierge for restaurants. After repetitive calls kept interrupting service at Back to Back, the Nob Hill restaurant he opened with his sister, Hom teamed up with longtime friend Brendan Wood to build an automated guest-communication system. Hostie raised a $12 million Series A in July 2026, bringing total funding to $16 million, after reporting more than two million guest conversations and 400,000 covers booked.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at Hostie; Co-Owner at Back to Back
- **Organizations:** Hostie, Back to Back, Instacart, Flexport, Betterworks
- **From:** San Francisco, United States
- **Education:** B.A. in Design, University of California, Davis
- **Known for:** Co-founded Hostie and grew it to hundreds of restaurant partners nationwide., Raised a $4 million seed round led by Gradient Ventures in 2025., Raised a $12 million Series A led by Obvious Ventures in July 2026, bringing Hostie's total funding to $16 million.

## Career timeline

- **2012** — Completed a B.A. in Design at the University of California, Davis.
- **2014-2017** — Worked in product design at Betterworks.
- **2017-2021** — Worked as a product designer and senior product designer at Flexport.
- **2021-2022** — Worked as a senior product designer on Ready Meals at Instacart.
- **2022** — Opened Back to Back, a Nob Hill pizzeria, natural-wine bar, and listening room, with his sister Monica.
- **2024** — Co-founded Hostie with Brendan Wood after testing an AI guest-communication prototype at Back to Back.
- **2025** — Hostie announced a $4 million seed round led by Gradient Ventures.
- **2026** — Hostie announced a $12 million Series A led by Obvious Ventures, bringing total funding to $16 million.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Hostie and grew it to hundreds of restaurant partners nationwide.
- Raised a $4 million seed round led by Gradient Ventures in 2025.
- Raised a $12 million Series A led by Obvious Ventures in July 2026, bringing Hostie's total funding to $16 million.
- By July 2026, Hostie reported more than two million guest conversations, 24 million messages, over 400,000 covers booked, and more than 50,000 private-event inquiries supported.
- Co-opened Back to Back in San Francisco's Nob Hill neighborhood with his sister Monica.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Featured by the San Francisco Business Times in a profile about his move from restaurant ownership into restaurant AI.
- **2026-07** — Appeared on The Simmer podcast to discuss guest preferences, engagement, and AI in restaurants.
- **2026-07** — Announced Hostie's $12 million Series A led by Obvious Ventures, bringing total funding to $16 million.

## Links

- Website: https://hostie.ai
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randallhom

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/randall-hom
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-27