Frederick Szydlowski (Embargo): 10 Key Things You Must Know

Overview

Frederick Szydlowski is a British-Polish entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and CEO of Embargo, a pioneering technology platform revolutionizing customer loyalty and CRM in the hospitality sector. With roots in marketing and hands-on hospitality management, Szydlowski has leveraged his industry experience to develop Embargo into a powerful, AI-driven CRM and loyalty platform utilized by thousands of coffee shops, restaurants, and bakeries. His work is especially significant because it empowers small and medium-sized hospitality businesses to compete with large chains through advanced data-driven marketing, seamless customer engagement, and personalized loyalty programs.

In this article, you will discover 10 key facts spanning Frederick Szydlowski's career beginnings, the genesis and impact of Embargo, the company’s technological innovations, its recent funding milestones, and how Szydlowski’s leadership is shaping the future of hospitality technology.

1. Early Career in Hospitality and Marketing

Frederick Szydlowski began his hospitality career at the age of 19, working at Joe & The Juice in London—a small Danish-based juice and coffee chain. He rapidly advanced from being a juicer to training manager, then moved to Tonteria where he became Head of Marketing, and later joined The Cuckoo Club’s marketing team. These diverse roles helped him gain invaluable insight into the hospitality business's operational and customer engagement challenges. This groundwork informed his understanding of the market's needs, particularly the value of regular customers and the lack of effective loyalty solutions for smaller venues.

2. Founding of Embargo

In 2017, Szydlowski teamed up with Tsewang Wangkang to found Embargo, a London-based startup aiming to revamp the hospitality loyalty industry. They recognized a market gap: many small and medium enterprises in hospitality lacked sophisticated CRM tools and had to rely on outdated methods like paper loyalty cards or unreliable staff memory for customer retention. Embargo was created as a plug-and-play CRM and loyalty wallet app to provide these businesses with affordable, easy-to-use, data-driven tools traditionally reserved for large chains.

3. Embargo's Product Offering and Technology

Embargo offers a comprehensive loyalty and CRM platform consisting of an easy setup online Portal for businesses and a customer-facing mobile app. The platform tracks customer visits, enables personalized marketing campaigns, and offers rewards management via digital loyalty stamps. Integrated with major POS systems like Square and Lightspeed, Embargo transforms raw customer data into actionable insights that help businesses retain customers and boost repeat revenues. The platform also includes services like direct ordering and an in-app tipping feature, further extending its appeal.

4. Focus on Small and Medium Hospitality Businesses

A key differentiator for Embargo is its focus on small to medium-sized hospitality businesses—coffee shops, bakeries, and independent restaurants—that traditionally could not afford expensive loyalty systems. Szydlowski’s vision has been to "democratize" access to powerful customer management technology, enabling these businesses to compete effectively with multi-million-dollar chains. The service is subscription-based and designed to be intuitive so venue owners or managers can deploy it quickly without technical expertise.

5. Data-Driven Growth Philosophy

Under Szydlowski’s leadership, Embargo has embraced a product-led growth model where the development and refinement of the platform are tightly driven by user data and feedback from thousands of venues. Instead of aggressive marketing, the company focused on improving product functionality and aligning closely with customer needs. This approach helped Embargo build a loyal client base and steadily increase revenues while maintaining a lean team.

6. Successful Funding Rounds and Investor Support

In August 2025, Embargo raised $3.5 million in funding led by a group of prominent angel investors from various sectors, including hospitality and finance. This round will accelerate international expansion plans and enhance the company’s AI and machine learning capabilities for personalized marketing. Prior funding phases attracted high-profile investors like former professional basketball players and fintech executives, demonstrating strong market confidence in Embargo’s disruptive technology and growth trajectory.

7. Overcoming Industry Challenges

Szydlowski and his team faced numerous challenges, including launching during a turbulent period affected by Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, and staffing shortages in hospitality. Instead of pausing, they adapted by focusing on product resilience and customer needs. As hospitality venues cope with rising costs and increased competition, Embargo’s tools have helped many businesses improve customer retention, which is critical since retaining a customer is far less expensive than acquiring a new one.

8. Impact on Customer Loyalty in Hospitality

Embargo’s platform has fundamentally changed the way many hospitality venues manage customer loyalty. Rather than simple punch-card systems, businesses now rely on detailed behavioral data, enabling the launch of targeted campaigns that re-engage lapsed customers, encourage upselling, and increase customer lifetime value. Data shows that a 5% increase in customer retention can boost revenues by up to 90%, a metric Embargo helps clients strive to achieve.

9. Vision for the Future and Expansion

Szydlowski’s vision is to continue expanding Embargo’s reach beyond the UK into European markets and beyond, tapping into the increasing digital transformation of hospitality worldwide. Upcoming developments include deeper AI integration, enhanced ordering systems, and expanded POS integrations. The company aims to solidify its position as a key technology partner for SME hospitality businesses globally, making loyalty and CRM technology accessible and impactful.

10. Personal Leadership and Industry Influence

Beyond entrepreneurship, Frederick Szydlowski is an active voice in the hospitality tech ecosystem, frequently sharing insights on product-led growth, customer loyalty, and digital transformation. Known for his passionate, data-driven approach, he also participates in industry events, mentoring upcoming startups and advocating for technology’s role in revitalizing hospitality post-pandemic. His journey from hospitality operations to tech CEO symbolizes the blend of industry expertise with innovative digital solutions.

Conclusion

Frederick Szydlowski exemplifies the modern tech entrepreneur who leverages deep industry experience to solve pressing business problems through technology. Co-founding Embargo filled a vital gap in the hospitality sector by offering accessible, powerful CRM and loyalty tools to SMEs, helping them grow and compete in a challenging market. Today, under his leadership, Embargo is expanding rapidly, fueled by innovation and investor confidence. As hospitality continues its digital evolution, Szydlowski’s work invites us to consider how technology can amplify personal connections between businesses and their customers, reshaping customer loyalty in fundamental ways.