Aniai Secures $12M in Pre-Series A Funding for Robotics Kitchen Expansion
The Korean robotics kitchen startup Aniai has successfully secured 12 million dollars (approximately 15.7 billion won) in pre-SeriesA funding.
This investment round was spearheaded by Intervest, and saw participation from new investors such as SV Investment and the UK-based Ignite Innovation. Existing investor Capstone Partners also continued their support with follow-on investments. Aniai’s total funding now amounts to 15 million dollars (approximately 19.7 billion won).
Aniai has been recognized for its significant growth potential, as demonstrated by its solid business performance in the hamburger markets of South Korea and the United States.
The company’s hamburger cooking robot, ‘Alpha Grill,’ has been supplied to seven brands, including Downtowners, Bas Burger, CJ Freshway, and Mom’s Touch. It has also secured 500 pre-orders from hamburger franchises like Lotteria, Tasty Burger, and Folt Burger.
Aniai is currently conducting local pilot tests to introduce ‘Alpha Grill’ in two major U.S. hamburger franchises, having signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with them. The company plans to start full-scale robot installation within the next 6 to 12 months.
With this latest investment, Aniai has initiated operations at its domestic production facility, ‘Factory One,’ for manufacturing the ‘Alpha Grill.’ The decision to establish its own factory is in line with the company’s objective of creating a stable robot production and supply system, catering to the growing domestic and international demand. The Incheon-based production facility has an annual production capacity of 1,000 units.
Aniai also intends to incorporate cloud-based AI technology. The robot utilizes vision sensors to monitor the surface color of patties in real-time and evaluate their quality. If a patty is undercooked below a set standard, the robot promptly alerts the cooking staff, thus enabling systematic quality control. This feature is slated to be showcased at the American Restaurant Expo in Chicago this May.
Gunpil Hwang, CEO of Aniai, commented, “We have secured investment funds surpassing our initial target, a testament to our sales achievements and technological competitiveness,” and added, “This year, our goal is to further extend our technological lead in the market by enhancing not just our hardware, but our software capabilities as well.”
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[Korean Startup Weekly News #2] Aniai Secures $12M in Pre-Series A Funding for Robotics Kitchen Expansion – 와우테일(WOWTALE)
[…] Aniai Secures $12M in Pre-Series A Funding for Robotics Kitchen ExpansionAniai, a Korean robotics kitchen startup, raises $12M in pre-Series A funding, expanding its burger-cooking robot ‘Alpha Grill’ in South Korea and the U.S. Robotics News […]