A couple of years earlier, Chef Robotics was dealing with possible death.There were a lot of dark durations where I was thinking about quiting, creator Rajat Bhageria informs A Technology NewsRoom of his six-year-old company.
But friends and investors motivated him, so he persevered.Today, Chef Robotics has not only made it through, its one of the couple of food tech robotic companies that is thriving.
The startup, which recently raised a $23 million Series A, has 40 employees and marquee clients like Amys Kitchen and Chef Bombay.
Dozens of robotics installed across the United States have actually made 45 million meals to date, Bhageria says.This compares to a graveyard of failed food tech robotics business, including Chowbotics with its salad-making robotic Sally; pizza delivery robotic Zume; food kiosk robot Karakuri, and, more recently, agtech Small Robot Company.Bhageria says he conserved his company by doing something that early-stage creators fear to do: turning away signed customers and millions of dollars in revenue.The understanding problemIt all started when Bhageria did his masters degree in robotics at UPenns famous GRASP Lab.
He dreamed of the sci-fi promised world where robotics did our housework, mowed our yards, and cooked us first-class dinners.Such a world doesnt exist yet because engineers have yet to fully solve the robotic understanding problem.
Training the exact same robotic to clean a red wine glass without squashing it and a cast iron pan without dropping it is a challenging task.When it concerns robotic chefs, Nobodys built a dataset of how do you get a blueberry and not squish it, or, how do you pick up cheese and not have it clump up? he describes.His initial concept with Chef Robotics resembled the long-list of the robotics startups that passed away: a robotic line for fast casual restaurants.
Thats a massive market with a chronic staff member shortage.We actually had signed agreements.
Like we had multimillion-dollar signed agreements.
Obviously, were refraining from doing this any longer.
What happened? he said.
We essentially could not resolve the technical problem.In those kinds of companies, a worker completes an order by putting together all the different components required for each meal.
These dining establishments desire robots to duplicate that process since the option is to have lots of robots dedicated to, and calibrated for, a single ingredient, some of which may only be utilized sometimes (were taking a look at you, anchovies).
However Bhageria and group couldnt build a successful pick-up-anything robot since the training data does not exist.
He asked his possible customers to let him install robots for one or two ingredients, collecting training information and structure from there.
They stated no.Then Bhageria had an epiphany.Instead of going bust attempting to give existing clients what they wanted, maybe he needed various clients.
It honestly drew, because I spent the last year and a half of my life attempting to convince these people, these quick casual business, to develop with us, he recalled.Chef Robotics founder Rajat BhageriaImage Credits: Chef RoboticsSaying no cause yesIt didnt aid that fundraising after 2021 was ruthless.
VCs were also looking at the graveyard.
We spoke with lots of various funds, Bhageria stated.
We just got turned down over and over.Bhageria was thinking about quiting.
You get back and are like, what am I carrying out in my life? Am I doing the wrong thing? Should I give up? he remembered.But he dug in and in March, 2023, raised an $11.2 million seed round led by Construct Capital, while also landing checks from Promus Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, and Gaingels.Bhageria and team likewise found their ideal market, a part of the food industry known as high mix manufacturing.These are food makers that have numerous, many dishes, and make countless portions, but normally as meals or meal trays.
; salads and sandwiches or primary courses and side meals.
These are meals used by airline companies and healthcare facilities, etc, or are frozen food meals for consumers.Rather than one staff member getting all the components for each meal, high mix staff members form an assembly line.
Everyone adds their individual ingredient to the tray repeatedly till the order is total.
Then they put together the next recipe.Its in fact numerous humans who are standing in a 34 Fahrenheit space, and theyre essentially scooping food for eight hours a day, he explains.
Its just an awful job.Consequently, this market has chronic labor scarcities as well.Robotics wasnt financially practical for them in the pastbecause of the range of ingredients involved.
But a start-up constructing a flexible-ingredient bot, where the robotics are integrated in collaboration with the food maker, works.Better still, as we learn how to do this chorizo, or we find out peas, or this sauce, or these zucchinis, the bots get the real-world training data they require to eventually serve fast-casual dining establishments.
Bhageria states this is still on his roadmap.Best of all, thanks to VCs reborn interest in all things AI, fundraising this time was weirdly easy, Bhageria states.
Avataar Venture Partners, co-founded by former Norwest VC Mohan Kumar, was specifically aiming to fund AI in the real world start-ups and actually pursued Chef Robotics, Bhageria says.
He closed this round in less than a month.
Avataar led, with existing financiers Construct Capital, Bloomberg Beta, and Promus Ventures piling in, amongst others.The new financing brings Chefs amount to raised to $38.8 million.
He likewise signed a $26.75 million loan from Silicon Valley Bank for devices financing.And the procedure this time was exhilarating, he stated.