DoorDash swallows meal-prep robotics startup Chowbotics

DoorDash swallows meal-prep robotics startup Chowbotics

San Francisco, Feb. 9, 2021

Door – Dash, operator of the largest U.S. food delivery service, is acquiring robotics startup Chowbotics with the goal of improving its logistics platform, merchant offerings and customer access to meals. All parties involved have agreed not to disclose the purchase price for the startup Chowbotics.

Chowbotics co-founder and CEO Rick Wilmer explained the deal by pointing to new developments in the marketplace: meanwhile, while demand for meal delivery skyrocketed worldwide in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, restaurants are struggling for bare survival.

Making fresh food more accessible and convenient has always been at the core of our mission. As part of DoorDash, that mission will now be advanced, Wilmer emphasized. „At the same time, Chowbotics‘ technology will allow DoorDash merchants to expand their menu offerings to reach new customers or markets without having to invest in new stores.“

Bay Area-based Chowbotics has received about $21 million from investors since its founding in 2014. The company introduced its Sally robot in 2018, followed by version 2.0 a year later. Since last October, people have been able to order their meals – including salads, poke, yogurt and brisket bowls – in advance via an app.

In 2017, DoorDash began testing food delivery robots from Starship Technologies; the self-driving bots have been tested in cities such as Redwood City, California, and Washington, D.C.