The future of digital hospitality is sustainable
We hold ourselves accountable to managing the impacts our business imposes on our company, stakeholders, and planet. Our ongoing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy development will harness opportunities to enrich our social impacts and lessen our environmental impacts, while centering on strong corporate governance and ethics.
We are committed to aligning products and resources to drive positive change and create a more sustainable future across the communities where we live, work, and serve.
Noah Glass
Our Strategy
Carbon Footprint
As a SaaS platform, most of our carbon footprint comes from our Scope 3 emissions, which includes upstream use of our products and services. In 2022, we saw an increase in overall emissions, primarily due to return to work and our company’s growth. Corporate travel, employees, offices, and the purchase of goods and services increased compared to 2021 and were significant drivers of our 2022 emissions. However, despite our total emissions increasing over the past four years, we have managed to keep them relatively under control when measured by both revenue and headcount intensity. This means that as Olo has grown, we have been successful in minimizing our carbon emissions.
We continually look for ways to reduce our cloud computing usage and lessen our carbon intensity, optimizing our servers and working with providers with carbon reduction plans, such as AWS. We plan to further our efforts in 2023 by working with our customers and suppliers to reduce our footprint. This includes developing the ability for restaurants to streamline and batch orders for delivery, thus reducing the number of delivery trips, costs, and carbon emissions.
As we continue to track, analyze, and report on our emissions and energy usage, we will use this information to inform future targets for reduction. We look forward to updating you on our progress and future goals.
GHG Emissions
Energy Usage
Scope 1: Direct release of greenhouse gasses from sources Olo owns or controls (i.e., natural gas from HQ).
Scope 2: Emissions from the generation of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling that Olo purchases from companies (i.e., electricity from HQ).
Scope 3: Upstream emissions of products and services Olo purchases, and downstream emissions when customers use/dispose of our products (i.e., emissions from our partners, consultants, and suppliers).
Waste Reduction
Beyond our direct footprint, we are using the Olo platform to enable our customers to be more sustainable as well. We realized the positive environmental impact we can have through our platform to manage food and packaging waste. Olo is helping to reduce single-use plastic at scale by allowing restaurants to shift to an opt-in format for choosing plastic cutlery and similar items for to-go and take-away orders. This functionality is available for all of our customers to use across the U.S. and Canada, while meeting legal updates in California and New York.
Environmental engagement is a topic that Oloites know well. Olo Green is our employee resource group (ERG) that convenes employees with a passion for sustainability and an eye for ways to increase awareness and engagement at Olo. They educate and empower Oloites to implement eco-friendly practices in the workplace and in their day-to-day lives through various events and activities such as a climate governance roundtable discussion with leaders in our industry, Earth Month in-person and virtual volunteer opportunities, guest speakers focused on topics like environmental justice, and more.
Learn more about our ERGs
1,624
Refillable water bottle reuses
48.72
lbs of waste diverted
10 lbs.
Nearly 10 pounds of ocean waste prevented
Olo joined the Pledge 1% movement and created Olo For Good, committing one percent of Olo’s time, product, and equity to Olo for Good initiatives to foster sustainable contributions to the communities in which we live, work, and serve by integrating social responsibility and impact into our business.
Olo for Good is leveraging our people, technology, and equity to support organizations that are aligned with our mission and values including those focused on:
• Advancing all aspects of racial, ethnic and gender diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Providing relief and support for the restaurant industry and its front-line workers
• Ending childhood hunger and increasing access to food
• Protecting natural resources and reducing waste and emissions
Time
Volunteerism and social responsibility are instilled in our employee base. We encourage Oloties to “Do Good” by matching employee donations and providing volunteer time off (VTO). Employees can use 8 paid hours per year to give back to their communities by volunteering at the eligible nonprofit of their choice. Olo builds on the causes employees support by matching up to $250 per employee, per year in donations to qualifying nonprofits each year, doubling their efforts.
40.5%
Employees "doing good" in 2022
176
Number of employees who used VTO
811
Number of VTO hours
164
Number of Employees who requested a donation match
$48,640
Employee donations
$25,935
Olo's donation match
Product
Olo is enabling Emma’s Torch’s digital ordering capabilities by waving our fees for our Ordering and Dispatch modules. We are actively working to partner with additional nonprofit organizations.
We’re also using our products and platform to create opportunities for our customers and partners to support their communities. For example, we created an Open Donation functionality where restaurants can add a donation option to their menu to benefit any nonprofit of their choosing. Six of our customers currently use this feature, and so far they have raised $2+ million for nonprofits.
Equity
Since its founding in 2021, Olo for Good’s annual grant cycle has awarded $8+ million to 25 different non-profit organizations through its donor advised fund (DAF) partner, Tides Foundation. We regularly monitor the impact of our DAF recipients through written quarterly reports and in-person meetings. These were the organizations that received funding in 2023:
Through our DAF, we also provide strategic grants that respond to social justice issues and natural disasters. To date we’ve provided more than $90,000 in grants to nonprofits, including American National Red Cross, ACLU, The Trevor Project, Equality Texas Foundation, Equality Florida Institute, Razom, Ukrainian Red Cross Society, and more.
Our philanthropic contributions reflect Olo’s broader engagement on social justice topics that are important to our employees, customers, and partners. We’re supporting efforts to make our country a safer and more equitable place. We’ve signed the Human Rights Campaign’s Business statement on Anti-LGBTQ State Legislation in support of LGBTQ+ rights. We’ve also signed on to the CEOs for Gun Safety pledge in support of measures to prevent gun violence.
Taking Care of Oloites
We adopt our policies, practices, and benefits that foster a motivated and satisfied workforce. This approach is rooted in our company values, which include “Our families come first.” By conducting annual employee engagement surveys and shorter, targeted pulse surveys throughout the year, we hear from Oloites and make real changes to meet their needs, such as introducing a mid-year performance check-in and ensuring we have a well-defined, company-wide job architecture.
Compensation & Benefits
Olo provides our workforce with the energy and support they need to excel at their job. We regularly review our processes for assessing team performance to ensure that we are improving upward mobility for employees from underrepresented groups. We conduct annual calibrations to examine the standardization of team performance assessments and better monitor the advancement and mobility of underrepresented groups. In addition to an annual performance review we introduced a mid-year performance check-in and ensure we have a well-defined, company-wide job architecture.
We aim to prioritize our employees’ mental and physical health by creating an inclusive and flexible work environment. Our benefits include fully paid healthcare premiums, 30+ days of time off, 12 weeks paid parental leave, paid volunteer time off, 401(k) match, company equity, and a company match program for eligible employee donations. Olo signed on to the Don’t Ban Equality initiative to demonstrate our support for access to reproductive healthcare and, in 2023, we expanded our employee benefits by offering bi-weekly half-day Summer Fridays, quarterly mental health days, and 10 sick days.
Training
During onboarding, all new full-time employees complete live training that introduces them to DEI topics and Olo’s initiatives. In addition to a variety of skills development and on-job training, Oloites are required to complete the following training:
• Preventing Harassment & Discrimination
• Code of Conduct & Business Ethics
• Security Awareness
• Legal 101
In addition, all of our managers are required to complete leadership development training and Leading Inclusively, a series that creates a foundational understanding of DEI in two-stage virtual and live formats.
See our Careers page for more details
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Olo is committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture that promotes growth and equity for traditionally underrepresented groups. We support and celebrate diverse perspectives through our DEI Committee, which is led by our DEI Director and made up of 9 employee volunteers with various backgrounds, who collaborate with the DEI Team.
Our Goal
By the end of 2024, Olo targets to have 42% women and 18% underrepresented ethnicities* make up our team. And we look forward to continuing our efforts beyond 2024. We are also growing our efforts to focus on members of the LGBTQ+ community, people living with disabilities, and veterans.
Learn more about our DEI initiatives
*Underrepresented ethnicities includes employees who voluntarily self identified as Black / African American, Hispanic / Latinx, Two or More Races, Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.
Olo Ties
In 2022, based on feedback from the DEI Survey, we launched Olo Ties, a mentorship program that supports women and people of color. Oloites recognize the value of sharing lessons learned in their careers to help each other achieve goals and advance their leadership skills. The program is made up of 48 Oloites (24 mentors/24 mentees). In 2023, we expanded the program to address tailored mentorship needs for employees with disabilities, non-binary employees, LGBTQ+ employees, and veterans.
96%
of Oloites would recommend the program to other Oloites
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
Our ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups that foster a diverse and inclusive workplace. ERGs support Olo’s mission, values, goals, and overall DEI strategy. Our six ERGs plan their events and initiatives with the goal of advancing professional development, strengthening internal relations, and building communities and allyship.
ESG Governance and Oversight
ESG is integral to Olo, and we’re committed to developing a program that is centered on data and transparency. We are passionate about using our platform for good and implementing processes and procedures to manage our efforts. The ESG Team is responsible for the development and implementation of Olo’s ESG goals and programs. Our executive Sponsors and our Board’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, formally oversee Olo’s ESG activities, strategy, and public disclosures. Our Board’s Nominating and Corporate Governance committee receives periodic ESG updates on our initiatives.
ESG Governance Structure
Board of Directors
Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee
Executive Team
ESG Executive Sponsors
Jo Lambert, Chief Operating Officer
Rob Morvillo, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Priya Thinagar, Executive Vice President of Technology
ESG Team
Corporate Governance & Ethics
Our approach to Corporate Governance and Ethics is best summarized through a simple Olo refrain: “Use Good Judgment. Act with Integrity. Be Responsible.” Our employees and Board are expected to adhere to these principles as outlined in our Code of Conduct and Ethics, which is approved and overseen by our Board. Our Code of Conduct is publicly available on our website and all employees receive training during our onboarding process and annually. We understand the importance of risk oversight and management. Our Board has overall responsibility for risk oversight and is responsible for monitoring and assessing our risk management process. Olo’s General Counsel and/or the Audit Committee of our Board oversee any governance or ethics violations and take appropriate action. Olo requires annual training that ensures our policies, values, and ethics are upheld by our employees.
Learn more on our Investor Relations Page
Data Privacy & Security
At Olo, our customers trust our platform with their most sensitive guest and business data, and our Board and management take data protection and cybersecurity seriously. We employ our in-house security teams, led by our Chief Information Security Officer, to regularly monitor the platform and test for and address any vulnerabilities. We also formed a Governance, Risk, and Compliance committee to ensure direction, oversight, and management for cyber and privacy strategy going forward. We maintain and comply with a security policy that outlines how Olo protects our systems from unauthorized access, safeguards end user data, and addresses and remedies any security breaches.
Our technology also incorporates privacy-safe practices and tools as an integral and foundational part of our platform’s approach. Privacy best practices are proactively embedded into our processes, systems, and infrastructure. Further, Olo’s privacy policy discloses the end user personal information we collect and the limited ways we may use this data. We never sell any personal information collected through our service. Additionally, we are SOC 1, Type 2 and SOC 2, Type 2 compliant.
Materiality Matrix
Our materiality matrix illustrates the environmental, social, and governance topics of highest influence on our business success and importance to our stakeholders. The material topics of highest priority are depicted in Tier 1, the uppermost band to the right.
The use of “materiality” for the assessment is intended to reflect our ESG priorities and is a broader standard than used in our financial disclosures. The term does not carry the same meaning as it does under U.S. securities laws and does not speak to the materiality of those issues to Olo as a whole.