Restaurant Payments App Blackbird Raises $50M to Fuel Expansion

Blockchain-based restaurant loyalty and payments platform Blackbird Labs has secured $50 million in a Series B funding round led by Spark Capital, with backing from major names like Coinbase, a16z crypto, Union Square Ventures, and Amex Ventures.

Blackbird allows diners to earn exclusive perks — such as last-minute table access and off-menu items — by visiting restaurants within its network. It also offers a proprietary rewards currency called $FLY, which customers can redeem across more than 1,000 partner restaurants located in New York, San Francisco, and Charleston.

The new funding will support expansion into additional U.S. cities, extending Blackbird’s reach and network of restaurant partners.

Blackbird is led by Ben Leventhal, the former founder of Resy, a restaurant reservation service that was acquired by American Express in 2019. With Amex now joining the cap table as an investor in Blackbird, Leventhal hinted at potential integration between the two platforms in the near future.