Compared to rivals like Gunnar and Quintero, Jasper has not had a smooth ride in the enterprise market. A few months ago, the company decided to pivot and change its name to Jasper.
As part of the change, chief executive Gunnar Froh has embraced a so-called ‘cooking as a service’ model.
The company wants to set up robots in (or near) high-rise residenceskitchen, and operates by charging residents a subscription fee and the cost of meal ingredients.
Gunnar said in a recent interview that many people are tired of cooking their own meals, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive and expensive, but food delivery is not only expensive but also extremely inefficient.
Over time, people began to realize that most of the cost was spent on platform onboarding and delivery expenses.
The good news is that, in Jasper’s vision, the company can resolve both labor costs and delivery inefficiencies at once by setting up robotic kitchens in residential areas.
In addition to allowing customers to enjoy affordable and fresh meals, Jasper hopes to help reduce household food waste by up to 1/3 through porcelain containers.
Food automation startups are reported to be growing on Bloomberg, as evidenced by Chipotle’s recent investment in Miso Robotics’ cornflake-making robot.
As labor costs continue to rise, cooking robots are bound to attract more attention. In 2020, for example, Karakuri invested $8.4 million in its automated canteen.
Last May, Chef Robotics raised $7.7 million in funding. A few months later, salad chain Sweetgreen acquired kitchen robotics startup Spyce. Last summer, the Makeline robotics project also raised $24 million.
Of course, Jasper has a more direct competition with Los Angeles-based Nommi — which has self-service food kiosks for real estate and college campus partners.
However, Gunnar Froh claims that Jasper’s platform has a wider range of prep materials, covers a variety of dishes, and ranges in price from $1.20 to $16.90.
If all goes well, the company hopes to hit its annual recurring revenue (ARR) target of $2.5 million and is preparing to raise $7 million in additional capital.