Presto Announces Return of Co-founder Krishna Gupta as CEO, Marking A Successful Q1

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Presto Phoenix, Inc. (“Presto”), the leader in enterprise-grade Voice AI for quick-service restaurants (QSRs), today announced that Krishna Gupta has returned as Chief Executive Officer, after a strong first quarter in the role.

Gupta, a co-founder and longtime strategic leader at Presto, stepped back into the CEO role as the company accelerates deployment of its drive-thru Voice AI platform across major national restaurant brands. Presto will be showcasing this expertise at its Restaurant Leadership Conference (RLC) panel, “Deploying Voice AI at America’s Iconic Brands,” on April 20^th in Phoenix.

“Presto is entering its defining chapter, and our focus is simple: to deliver the most reliable, delightful, and scalable drive-thru Voice AI platform as the category leader,” said Gupta. “I’m excited to lead from the front. We’re the only player with the vision, taste, and in-store expertise derived from real, field insights – not demos and dinners – across brands, food types, integrations, and geographies. I love nothing more than spending time in stores.”

Strong Momentum Across National Brands

Presto continues to expand across leading QSR brands. Its platform is built to handle the complexity of real-world restaurant menus and environments while delivering a consistent guest experience.

“Voice AI is no longer experimental across industries – it’s becoming the operating layer of the modern restaurant. The drive-thru is just the starting point, but it must be the starting point. It also happens to be incredibly hard to get right,” remarked Gupta. “We’re empowering our partners from the C-Suites to the General Managers with AI that makes their employees more productive, their stores more profitable, and their customers more pleased.”

Leveraging Deep Voice AI Expertise and Investor-Operator Duality

Gupta is also the founder of Remus Capital, an applied AI venture firm he founded in his MIT dorm room. “I have 15 years of experience in Voice AI. Being an applied AI investor across verticals helps me be a better AI CEO, and vice versa,” says Gupta.

“Verticalized Voice AI is one of the most important shifts in enterprise software. Generic AI will not win at the 'last mile.' The winners will be companies that deeply understand their vertical, have a bigger vision, and can deliver consistent, high-quality scaled outcomes at the 'last mile.' That is exactly what Presto does.”

About Presto Phoenix, Inc.

Presto is the Voice AI market leader for restaurant drive-thrus. Presto’s products increase revenue, decrease labor costs, improve staff productivity, and standardize/enhance the guest experience. Presto is expanding nationwide with some of the most recognized quick-service restaurant (QSR) brands in the United States. Based in Silicon Valley, Presto is backed by Voice AI specialist Remus Capital and Y Combinator.