Food robotics startup Blendid makes crowdfunding move

Food automation and robotics venture, Blendid, has closed an oversubscribed round of crowdfunding.

Hitting its $2 million target via 1,475 individual investors during a four month campaign on StartEngine, the venture has now raised a total of $20 million in investment through a combination of traditional venture capital, strategic investors and crowdfunding.

During its crowdfunding effort, Blendid inked a commercial agreement with an unnamed “major commercial food service operator” which also made a strategic investment in the company, to help scale its manufacturing and operations.

"While robots are rapidly becoming part of the food service mix and countless vendors are vying for crowdfunding support, not all food robotic systems are created equal. It is critical to break through the buzz and marketing hype when evaluating options," says Vipin Jain, CEO and Co-founder, Blendid.

"AI powered robots play a primary role in the future of food service, and Blendid is committed to not only optimising the consumer experience, but also helping food operators overcome labor shortages and post-pandemic demand complexities while improving operator margins.”

“We've proven the strength of our technology platform with our first kiosk solution, but our food operating system will support different types of fresh fare, from smoothies to soups, bowls, salads, sandwiches and more in the years ahead as we embark on a new era of healthy fast food."

Blendid's proprietary, contactless food operating system (foodOS) processes orders, payment, and pickup safely, powered by machine vision and artificial intelligence technology.

foodOS measures and dispenses precise amounts of a wide range of ingredients for customised drinks, and then blends, pours, and stores each smoothie until a guest is ready for pickup.

The company's design is supported by a network operation centre that remotely manages all systems, making sure all Blendid robots can serve a freshly made, micro-customised smoothie within minutes and can process nine drinks simultaneously in high foot traffic areas.

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