Media Shovel conducted an interview with a representative of nomspass (nomspass.com) , who participated in COMEUP 2025.
a founder of nomspassw introduces a Canada-based startup currently piloting its service in Toronto.
The company operates a subscription-based food and beverage platform that allows customers to enjoy items such as coffee—or other foods—through a weekly or monthly pass. Instead of purchasing individual items each time, users pay a flat subscription fee and can redeem daily items at participating cafés and restaurants.
The concept is designed to offer cheaper prices, greater variety, and convenience for consumers, while also helping restaurants increase visibility and foot traffic.
Subscribers can use their pass at multiple different cafés or restaurants, rather than being limited to a single location. Although coffee is a common use case, the platform is not limited to beverages; it can include pizza, burgers, noodles, sushi, Korean food, baked goods, and more.
The company officially launched its beta test just last Friday, making it a very early-stage venture. After starting in Toronto, the team plans to expand across Canada over the next six months, with longer-term ambitions to enter the U.S. and Asia-Pacific markets, including South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, and Australia.
Marketing efforts are primarily driven by influencer marketing, leveraging the founder’s background in restaurant-focused software and influencer platforms. The goal is to match restaurants with the right customers while lowering the barrier for discovery.
The platform also uses customer preferences to recommend relevant subscription passes—for example, suggesting pastry or dessert passes to users who frequently consume those items—ensuring that offerings align with both customer habits and restaurant business needs.
When asked about automation or AI-driven restaurant technology, the founder explains that while robots and automation already exist in some Canadian restaurants, these technologies are not central to the company’s current business model.
The startup participated in the conference through an incubator program affiliated with Toronto-based universities, which invited the founder after his previous involvement with another company.
While the company is open to future funding, it is currently focused on testing, user growth, and market validation rather than immediate investment.
Overall, the service positions itself as a subscription-based discovery platform (SaaS) that benefits consumers through affordability and variety, and restaurants through increased exposure and customer acquisition.
The founder expresses optimism about the early response and interest from people met during the conference, particularly regarding future opportunities in the Korean market.
