Appetronix, a developer of robotic kitchen systems, has acquired food robotics company Cibotica in a move aimed at expanding its automation platform into additional food categories beyond pizza. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquisition brings Cibotica’s automated ingredient dispensing and portioning technology into the Appetronix portfolio, including the company’s Remy robotic bowl and salad assembly system.
Appetronix says the technology will help accelerate the development of robotic kitchen concepts for a wider range of cuisines and foodservice applications.
“This acquisition represents far more than just expanding our technology stack. It’s about elevating the entire food robotics ecosystem,” said Nipun Sharma, CEO of Appetronix.
“We’ve worked closely with the Cibotica team for years, watching them build breakthrough technology that solves real operational challenges, and bring it to market through their partnership with MOTO Pizza in Seattle, WA.
“Bringing them into the Appetronix family allows us to scale new cuisine formats faster while demonstrating that the food robotics space can create meaningful exits for innovative founders.”
Appetronix currently operates robotic pizza kitchens through its partnership with Donatos, including an autonomous location at John Glenn Columbus International Airport.
The company says the addition of Cibotica’s dispensing technology will support expansion into food formats that require precise ingredient portioning.
According to Appetronix, Cibotica’s Remy platform can assemble up to 300 bowls per hour and uses machine-learning-based dispensing technology to handle a wide range of ingredient types.
The system is designed to integrate with existing point-of-sale, ordering, and back-of-house systems while reducing food waste through automated portion control.
“We founded Cibotica with a simple conviction: the best robotic solutions come from understanding the operator’s world first,” said Ashkan Mirnabavi, co-founder of Cibotica.
“This acquisition validates that approach and signals that the food robotics ecosystem is ready to deliver real outcomes for the industry.”
Appetronix said the acquisition supports its broader strategy of building a larger food automation ecosystem and follows the company’s recent seed funding round, which brought total funding to more than $12 million.
The combined companies plan to accelerate deployment of robotic foodservice systems across locations such as airports, hospitals, universities, entertainment venues, and other high-traffic environments.
“Appetronix’s track record with Donatos proved they can execute,” said Soroush Sefidkar, co-founder of Cibotica.
“This partnership allows our dispensing technology to reach its full potential.”
