Miso Robotics says it has raised $10 million in Series B funding to develop its burger-flipping robot. (See video below.)
The financing was led by Acacia Research Corporation.
Strategic investors participating in this funding round include Levy, the industry-leading sports and entertainment hospitality company, OpenTable’s chief technology officer Joseph Essas, and founding investor Cali Group, as well as six members of Cali Group’s management team and its subsidiary company, CaliBurger.
Miso Robotics says it will use the new capital to expand its suite of collaborative, adaptable “robotic kitchen assistants” and to broaden applications for Miso AI, the company’s machine learning cloud platform.
David Zito, co-founder and CEO of Miso Robotics, says: “We are thrilled by the growing confidence in Miso Robotics and remain committed to fulfilling our goal of modernizing the $3 trillion global prepared foods industry.
“Acacia’s patent expertise and our strategic investors will be invaluable as we continue to commercialize our cutting-edge technology.”
Miso Robotics says its suite of collaborative, adaptable robotic kitchen assistants and its Miso AI platform are designed to boost productivity and improve food quality.
This would enable restaurants and food providers to accommodate increasing customer expectations for fresher ingredients prepared quickly and consistently while keeping the cost of food down.
Rob Stewart, president of Acacia Research, says: “The company’s unique position as a pioneer in autonomous solutions for the commercial kitchen will not only transform the modern restaurant but also will change the way we think about how food is produced and served.”
Miso Robotics has also appointed three members to its advisory board, including: Joseph Essas, CTO of OpenTable, who will serve as a key restaurant technology advisor; Charless C. Fowlkes, associate professor of University of California at Irvine Department of Computer Science; and Dr Aaron Ames, a world-renowned roboticist and California Institute of Technology Bren Professor of Mechanical and Civil Engineering.
The latter two will both serve as machine learning and artificial intelligence advisors.
The company says it will soon debut “Flippy” at CaliBurger’s Pasadena location and will roll out the autonomous robotic kitchen assistant to more than 50 CaliBurger restaurants worldwide by the end of 2019.
