Kitchen robot manufacturer Botinkit has secured $13 million in a Series A funding round, led by Forebright and featuring investors such as 5Y Capital and Brizan Venture. Zexiang Li, known for his angel investment in drone giant DJI, and Ko Ping-Keung, an investor and professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, also participated in the funding round. Botinkit, co-founded by Shirley Chen, specializes in developing cooking robots for chain restaurants. The robots are designed to automate and standardize cooking processes, enabling restaurants to scale their operations efficiently.
The company, based in Shenzhen, expanded its cooking robot business to markets in Japan and the U.S. Following its successful expansion, Botinkit plans to utilize the latest funding to further expand into the Middle East and Europe next year. With this investment, the company has raised a total of nearly $20 million in funding.
Botinkit’s robots are tailored to suit different cooking skills, particularly stir-frying, stewing, and deep-frying. The robots are equipped with temperature sensors to optimize cooking processes and have demonstrated the ability to reduce ingredient loss by 30% and energy consumption by 40% when compared to commercial gas stoves.
One of the significant advantages of Botinkit’s robots is their potential to facilitate cross-regional expansion for restaurant chains. By automating the cooking process, the robots minimize the need for large kitchen staff, allowing franchises to maintain consistent quality control in new markets.
The company also plans to develop multimodal sensors that can detect flavors and smells, moving towards its goal of leveraging artificial general intelligence (AGI) to refine cooking processes based on human preferences and data feedback.
Currently, Botinkit generates revenue primarily through the sale of its hardware, but it has also started offering custom recipes for its clients through its global network of partnered chefs. Clients include fast-food chains, hotels, catering services, and supermarkets. The robots have been deployed at food stalls inside Walmart’s locations in China and Delibowl in Singapore.
Botinkit’s expansion and its integration of advanced technology into cooking processes signal a potential shift in the future of the food industry, with robotics and AI playing an increasingly significant role in optimizing efficiency and enhancing customer experiences.