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| The three founders |
A 22-year-old serial entrepreneur is embracing both AI and Robotics to revolutionise the way we consume food and has assembled an A-list team of respected innovators and “do-ers”.
The core philosophy of KAIKAKU centres around augmenting human capabilities by automating the repetitive chores and manual tasks native to the restaurant sector, which has long been riddled by chronic staff shortages and low job satisfaction. Unleashing the potential of robotics and AI, they aim to empower hospitality staff to embrace creativity and innovation, making the industry more dynamic and more engaging than ever before.
At its helm is CEO Josef Chen, who is a serial tech and food entrepreneur who at just 17 years old founded his first successful venture, which achieved a successful exit in just two years.
Chen grew up in a Chinese Restaurant family helping with chores like slicing up cabbage at the age of 7. He said: “Having experienced all the problems first-hand and seeing my parents struggles to find staff, I've given thought to finding ways to radically change the industry.”
KAIKAKU, derived from the Japanese term for “radical change”, was founded in April 2023 by a stellar team with a mixture of F&B and technical expertise.
“I endeavoured to assemble the best team in Europe that can build everything at breakneck speed, and I believe we’re off to an amazing start!”opined Chen.
Co-Founder and CTOis Dr David Sharp, who has a remarkable track record of delivering breakthrough innovations as former Head of Ocado Technologies 10x and Head of Engineering of Ocado’s Autonomous Mobility Team, joined the mission after researching commercial food and beverage Technologies.
Sharp said: “There's an exciting opportunity to apply the latest automation, robotics and AI technologies to transform the customer proposition and operational economics for the quick service restaurant sector."
Another notable addition to the team is Piers Millar, who Chen convinced to drop out of his studies at the London School of Economics to join as Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer.
Bringing hands-on experience as the UK’s youngest Crew Trainer at McDonald's and having helped Chen scale a dark kitchen dessert brand to 6 figure revenues within 3 months of inception, Millar confidently pre: “By 2030, will robotics be a common sight at restaurants and cafes? I have no doubt!”
Chen went on to say: “To achieve our hyper-ambitious goals, we needed expertise on scaling the world’s largest locations of F&B chains, creating delicious food consistently at massive scale and the details on creating and opening new food and beverage concepts from ground Zero.”
He added: "So we went out and found the world’s leading experts in their fields to join our advisory board!”
Featuring industry veterans including Don Fertman, former Chief Development Officer of Subway, David Crean, former Global Chief Science Officer at Mars Inc and Jonathan Hart, former MD of Café Nero and CEO of Thorntons.
Automation and robotics aren’t distant dreams for the food and beverage industry; they’re today’s reality.
Leading restaurant chains worldwide are embracing technology to streamline their operations and elevate customer experiences, emphasising the immense potential KAIKAKU is poised to harness.
Readers can learn more by visiting their website:- https://kaikaku.ai
(EDITOR: What do you think of AI and robotics being used in the food industry in an increasing fashion? Is it a good or a bad development?
Is it going back to the old days of the automated robo-diners of the 1950s? They were called Automats and you'll find details of the rise and fall of Automats here:- https://www.thoughtco.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-automat-4152992)