Miso Robotics, a US startup developing intelligent automation solutions for commercial kitchens, has announced its first funding round in the UK.
The company has previously raised over US$17m (£13.5m) in funding rounds in the USA, following a valuation of over US$80m (£64m) in 2019. The equity crowd funding round is being hosted in collaboration with Crowdcube with the aim of raising over US$30m (£24m) in new funding worldwide, supporting expansion into Europe.
“We are excited to open our first round of funding in the UK, a market where we see huge potential for the growth of the fast food sector and its use of smart technology to improve the experience for both customers and staff,” said Buck Jordan, CEO of Miso Robotics. “Technology is going to play a vital role in helping restaurants build back better, from improving health and safety to allowing workers to focus on less mundane roles. Crowd funding means that everyone has the opportunity to invest and be part of this emerging and exciting sector.”
Founded in 2016, Miso Robotics’ has drawn attention across the USA and internationally for its kitchen assistant Flippy that cooks burgers, fries, and chicken. The world’s first autonomous robotic kitchen assistant arm, which learns from its surroundings and acquires new skills, has been deployed across the US market at CaliBurger restaurants and venues such as Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles through Levy Restaurants, part of the UK-based Compass Group. This week, Miso Robotics announced that the US’s first fast-food hamburger chain White Castle will deploy Flippy in order to modernise its operations.
The burger-flipping robot is designed to provide a safer and healthier work environment for staff and food production by reducing human to food contact, but also completes mundane tasks quickly, while increasing profit margins. Customers in the USA deploying Flippy have projected an increase in profit margins of approximately 300%.
Miso Robotics has also recently announced a partnership with PathSpot and PopID to further advance sterile and safe cooking environments. PathSpot is a hand-scanning device that can check an employee’s hands in two seconds to determine whether pathogens are present, will be integrated into Flippy. PopID, a face payment platform, attaches to doors to scan and measure the body temperatures of staff, delivery drivers, and guests, and can detect if the person has a fever.
