Savitz left Shoebuy.com, the online footwear retailer owned by InterActive Corp., last summer. He was introduced to the founders of Smart Lunches, Cathy Goldman and Susan Frigoletto, as an adviser. Though the pair had only begun delivering lunch to schools in September, Savitz decided to make an offer to acquire the company just before the end of 2011. He knew Green from serving alongside her on the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange board; she had vacated the chief executive’s office at Yankee Group, a Boston tech research firm, at the end of 2010, and was thinking about next steps. She signed on to run the business around the same time that Savitz was wrapping up the acquisition.
“I was really captivated, partly because it’s so different,’’ Green said, “and partly because the mission is so compelling. The company is doing something worthwhile, and there is a huge scale opportunity.’’
Right now, Smart Lunches is focused on students in private and parochial schools that don’t have cafeterias; Green says public charter schools will probably be next.
“We’re competing with packed lunches,’’ she said, offering parents the choice to order a month’s worth of hot or cold lunches online. Lunches are delivered to the school by Smart Lunches contract caterers. A sample lunch: a turkey half sandwich with cheese, baby carrots, and an oatmeal cookie.
Green said schools that help promote Smart Lunches will get a share of the company’s revenue at the end of the year.
Goldman and Frigoletto have retained a minority stake in the company. Savitz has been the sole backer of Smart Lunches, but Green suggests they may seek other investors.
Boston marketing start-up catches a super break
It isn’t often that a seven-person company gets to help with a Super Bowl advertising campaign. But that opportunity presented itself to Boston’s Promoboxx last fall.
