Velocity Ventures invests in Israeli robot kitchen firm

Velocity Ventures, a VC firm focused on the travel and hospitality sectors, has announced that it will be Israel-based Hyper Food Robotics‘ anchor investor.

Photo credit: Hyper Food Robotics

Founded in 2019 by Udi Shamai, Harel Shafran, and Yariv Reches, Hyper assembles 40-foot autonomous robotic “box” kitchens to prepare fast food. These kitchens handle all stages of cooking, from food preparation to packing.

The company’s flagship machine takes eight minutes to cook an order of pizza end-to-end, and one kitchen can produce 120 pizzas per hour. This tech is plug and play, which means that clients can run restaurants off-site.

The firm will roll out its autonomous pizza kitchens in 2023.

Shamai, CEO of Hyper and a Pizza Hut Israel owner, started the company after observing the impact of rising labor costs and difficulty recruiting staff.

The firm says that its unmanned kitchens can operate three times more efficiently than regular staffed ones. Through its product, expenses on labor, rent, and food waste are reduced. The autonomous kitchens also streamline adherence to food quality and safety standards.

The global food robotics market is set to reach US$3.9 billion by 2027 at a compound annual growth rate of 12.3%.

See also: Why SEA’s food bots are outshining Silicon Valley at the table