News

Pupatella nabs $3.75M for DC expansion

October 18, 2018

Pupatella pizzeria has secured a $3.75 million investment to fuel expansion in the Washington, D.C. metro area, with as many as eight company-owned pizzerias planned over the next 36 months, in addition to the chain's two current locations in Virginia, a news release said.

Husband and wife founders, Enzo and Anastasiya Algarme, started Pupatella 11 years ago as a food truck, then opened their first brick-and-mortar store in Arlington in 2010. 

"In my home of Naples, classic Neapolitan pizza can be found on every corner," Enzo Algarme said in the release. "After not finding pizza like home, I became passionate about sharing the delicious food of my youth."

Pupatella partnered with the founding partners of Elevation Burger two years ago to grow the brand through franchising and corporate development. Most recently, the company named banker and corporate strategist Adam Winder as a partner and chief financial officer. Winder led efforts to raise the investment capital. 

The brand's first franchisee, Zeeshan Kaba, opened last year in Richmond, Virginia's Fan District and will open his second of four pizzerias in Glen Allen this fall. The brand also achieved certification by the Naples-based Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana for the creation of authentic Neapolitan pizza, a process given UNESCO World Heritage status last December.