Steve Mandell has spent his career evaluating businesses.
As an attorney, entrepreneur, investor, and licensing expert, he’s negotiated more than 1,000 brand agreements across sports, entertainment, and consumer products. When companies ask for his advice, he’s looking for more than a good pitch. He’s looking for businesses that solve real problems.
That’s what led him to become an advisor and investor in Swob.
On Digital Hospitality, Mandell explained why the restaurant hiring platform caught his attention and why he believes the industry has been using the wrong hiring process for far too long.
Looking Beyond the Technology
Mandell isn’t easily impressed by buzzwords.
AI may be transforming nearly every industry, but he believes technology only matters if it removes friction.
“I think Swob solves the problem,” he said.
Instead of relying on traditional job boards and lengthy online applications, Swob connects restaurants with hourly workers through QR codes, text messaging, and AI-powered matching. Applicants can scan a code, answer a few questions, and immediately begin the hiring process, while restaurant operators spend less time sorting through resumes and more time running their business.
The platform was built specifically for hourly hiring, where speed often determines whether a candidate accepts a job or moves on to the next opportunity. By removing unnecessary steps and creating a faster experience for both employers and applicants, Swob aims to modernize a hiring process that has changed very little over the past decade.
For Mandell, that’s exactly the kind of practical innovation worth backing.
Investing in the People
The platform wasn’t the only reason he got involved.
Mandell said he spends significant time researching founders before agreeing to work with a company. Awards and recognition may open the door, but character determines whether he walks through it.
He pointed to co-founders Stephanie Florio and Alexander Florio as leaders who consistently listen before offering solutions.
Rather than assuming they understood restaurant hiring, they spent time learning directly from operators about the challenges of recruiting hourly employees. That willingness to adapt convinced Mandell they were building something with long-term potential.
Execution Wins
Throughout the conversation, one word kept resurfacing.
Execution.
Mandell believes ideas are everywhere, but successful businesses separate themselves by consistently solving problems for customers.
Whether he’s evaluating a startup, advising a founder, or investing his own money, the question never changes.
Does this make life easier for the customer?
In Swob, he believes the answer is yes.
