Contributors
Will Hernandez
Will Hernandez is a media strategist for BackBay Communications, a Boston-based public relations firm that specializes in fintech companies. Prior to BackBay, Will was a bank technology reporter for American Banker. Will previously served as the editor of Mobile Payments Today for five years.
Dipesh Hinduja
Director, Mobile Solution Architecture at Stratix CorporationCorey Hines
Corey Hines is a B2B Brand Marketing leader and writer with a passion for the hospitality industry and its convergence with innovative technology. Corey has spent nearly a decade working in restaurant technology and many more years in restaurants and bars.
Eran Hollander
Eran Hollander, Chief Product Officer at HungerRush, has over 20 years of experience scaling fast-growth tech companies. As a former psychologist, Eran integrates behavioral insight with product strategy that understands the innate human needs of the user. His unique approach drives innovation that feels intuitive, efficient, and personal and results in best-in-class experiences for the user.
R.J. Hottovy
R.J. Hottovy, CFA has covered the restaurant, retail, and e-commerce sectors for 20 years as an equity analyst and strategist for Morningstar, William Blair & Co., and Deutsche Bank. R.J. also brings a wealth of experience with early-stage investments as a committee member for the IrishAngels / Vitalize venture capital group. Over the past three years, he advised over 50 food service companies on more than $200 million in early-stage capital raises and M&A transactions.
Sean Hsu
Sean Hsu brings more than twelve years in robotic engineering, industrial engineering and process efficiency to Botrista Technology, Inc. A serial entrepreneur, Hsu owns dozens of technology and invention patents. Hsu was recognized for his technology leadership with the prestigious MIT Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award, the Red Dot Design Award, as well as more than twenty-five other product innovation honors.
Amir Hudda
Amir Hudda is the CEO of Qu, the company that created the Unified Commerce Platform category for quick-service and fast-casual restaurants. Amir has built and scaled multiple companies across enterprise software, cloud, security, and analytics, raising more than $100M in capital and leading several to acquisition. Under his leadership, Qu has reimagined restaurant infrastructure through early adoption of edge computing and a unified approach to POS and digital ordering. In 2025, Amir was named a Finalist for EY’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® and joined the Forbes Business Council.
Brandon Hull
NoneDan Hyman
Dan is a freelance journalist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has written articles for publications including Rolling Stone, New York Times, Esquire, Playboy, ELLE, GQ, Men's Journal, NY Mag's Vulture, The Chicago Tribune and many more.
Dirk Izzo
Dirk Izzo serves as Senior Vice President of NCR Hospitality. He is a seasoned leader with experience in building and marketing innovative cloud-based solutions to help clients optimize their business performance.
Hakeem James
His vision is to give everyone access to customer data, particularly local mom-and-pop restaurants that may not have the resources to leverage a sophisticated digital platform. Hakeem is also on the board of The City Club in Dallas, and enjoys mentoring and making connections with young leaders in his free time.
Phil Kafarakis
Bringing you provocative perspective from inside the food industry. For more than 40 years I have been operating at the cross-roads of the global food ecosystem. An executive insider from the food manufacturing community and an industry advocate, I cover the amazing transformation taking place in the food industry. The comprehensive and unique perspective on what moves food companies to success or failure that I share, is driven by confidential access - from emerging innovators to the board rooms of multinationals, and everyone in between.
Sean Keith
Sean Keith is the Director of New Business Development at Eagle Eye, a leading SaaS technology company that enables businesses to create real-time connections with their customers. Sean helps brands in the F&B and hospitality industries implement digital transformation initiatives to better understand customer behaviors and drive revenue growth
Jen Kern
Jen Kern is the CMO at Qu, the responsible restaurant tech company evolving disjointed POS solutions of the past with a unified commerce platform for the future. Ms. Kern has been a writer, blogger, foodie, and passionate marketing mama for over 20 years, specializing in heart-led leadership and digital transformation for enterprise companies. She lives in West Virginia with her hubby and shepherd beagle mix.
Saskia Ketz
I run MojoMox, an NYC-based branding agency that’s worked with world-class brands like Netflix, Ikea, Timberland as well as plenty of startups. I’m also the founder and editor-in-chief of A Women’s Thing, a print and digital publication reshaping what society’s views of “women’s things” are, and I write for other sites about branding, positioning, and design topics for startups.
Zayn King- Dollie
Zayn King-Dollie is the Product Officer for Ordrslip, a Bitwise Industries company. Under Zayn's leadership, the Ordrslip team supports restaurants and coffee shops across the country by providing a streamlined online ordering process. With his strategic vision and years of experience in customer success, Zayn looks to rapidly grow and scale Ordrslip, while creating lasting partnerships with business owners and companies.
Jim Knight
Jim Knight is the Founder and CEO of Knight Speaker, as a thought leader, keynote speaker and 3x bestselling author on the topics of company culture, customer service, rock star leadership and employee engagement. With a music degree and a 21-year career as head of Training and Development for Hard Rock International, Jim now uses all of his experience and expertise, helping companies and individuals amp up their results with proven best practices and real impact. Jim Knight can be reached at www.KnightSpeaker.com.
Tim Koch
As President and COO of Franchise FastLane, I lead growth initiatives to help emerging franchise brands scale successfully. With over 21 years in franchising—including roles at CKE Restaurants and Gala Capital Partners—I focus on operational turnarounds, change management, and M&A. I also oversee programs that empower franchisors and franchisees to meet today’s business challenges, with a commitment to mentoring and innovation.
