Karakuri raises £7m in seed funding led by Ocado to develop food preparation robotics.
The seed round was led by Ocado with participation from Hoxton Ventures, firstminute capital and Taylor Brothers.
Karakuri is a UK based robotics company that designs and builds automated systems for the food and hospitality sector. The firm produces the DK-One, an automated canteen system capable of preparing personalised meals.
Karakuri has secured £7m in seed funding to advance its food preparation technology and expand its team. Ocado led the investment round, with additional backing from Hoxton Ventures, firstminute capital and Taylor Brothers.
The capital will support the engineering of new robotics hardware and strengthen intellectual property assets as the company targets global growth. For lead investor Ocado, the partnership provides new tools for its grocery and delivery operations, with initial machine deliveries scheduled for late 2019.
From the founder
"At Karakuri, we are dedicated to providing smart new ways to create and prepare fresh personalised meals. Consumer eating habits in and out of the home are changing rapidly as demand increases for healthier options that match specific dietary requirements. This growth in menu personalisation is putting huge pressure on restaurants, cafes and other food retailers. These providers have historically relied on identically mass produced meals to maintain their profit margins. By using robotics and machine learning, Karakuri’s systems provide localised micro-manufacturing within an existing restaurant, retail or commercial kitchen. Our systems prepare personalised meals onsite in real time to the exact requirements of each customer. At the same time, our technology aims to minimise food waste, packaging and distribution costs and all of the associated environmental impact."
Barney Wragg
CEO and co-founder at Karakuri
Use of funds
- 01Continue product development
- 02Fund research and development
- 03Grow the team
- 04Expand into international markets
