Japanese cooking robot developer raises Series A

500 Startups Japan – now known as Coral Capital following a spin-out earlier this year – also took part in the round, as did the corporate venture arms of Sony Corporation and Mitsui Fudosan, and the University of Tokyo's innovation platform. The company previously received JPY1 billion in seed funding, according to a statement.

Connected Robotics was established in response to growing labor shortages in the food services industry and consequent demand for automated solutions. The company has two products on the market: Octochef, which makes Takoyaki, a ball-shaped snack typically comprising seafood encased in batter; and Reita, an ice cream-making robot that resembles a cow.

The new funding will go towards strengthening sales and marketing, recruitment, and further development of the technology. Connected Robotics has robots in its pipeline that can wash dishes, prepare hot snacks, and even cook an entire breakfast.

Global Brain said in a separate statement that the company "aims to develop robot systems that bear the brunt of the work in the kitchen, leaving staff to concentrate on the more humanistic side of work." It backed Connected Robotics based on how far the company has already taken the technology and the market potential created by local labor shortages.

VC investors have supported a variety of Japanese robotics start-ups. While household service robots attract the most attention, solutions for specific industries have also gained traction. In the past six months alone, an investor group has provided Series B funding to Linkwiz, which performs quality control functions on production lines, while Meltin received $17.7 million to develop robots that can work in hazardous or remote conditions.

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• Topics
• North Asia
• Technology
• Early-stage
• Japan
• Global Brain Corporation
• 500 Startups