RoboArte, Famous for 'Chicken-Frying Robot Arm,' Raises 7.5 Billion KRW in Series A Funding

Robert Chicken Franchise Expansion... New York Branch Planned
"Streamlining Cooking Process with Robots... Enabling Single-Person Chicken Store Operation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] RoboArte, a robot food tech startup operating 'Robert Chicken,' announced on the 12th that it has secured 7.5 billion KRW in Series A funding.

Robert Chicken is a single-operator chicken brand that automates the frying cooking process using collaborative robots. The investment round included Korea Investment Partners, GS Retail, IBK Industrial Bank, SmartStudy Ventures, Mega Investment, and the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund.

Founded in September 2018, RoboArte provides a cooking solution applying a single robotic arm that automates the entire chicken cooking process from battering to frying.

Currently, it operates seven directly managed stores and plans to launch a franchise business starting next month. It also has plans to open its first overseas directly managed store in New York, USA, by the end of this year.

RoboArte signed a business agreement with GS Retail and has been operating a frying collaborative robot installed at the GS25 flagship store in Dongnae, Busan since last month.

In September last year, it was selected for the TIPS program, a technology startup investment program by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. By integrating various technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), it is developing a solution where robots judge and cook 'personalized chicken orders' received through its own application.

Lee Gyo-wook, Senior Partner at Korea Investment Partners who led this funding, said, "RoboArte is a team with ideas and execution power," adding, "They have proven that with the help of robots that streamline the cooking process, it is possible to operate a chicken store alone."

Kang Ji-young, CEO of RoboArte, stated, "We plan to advance robot utilization technology so that robots can cook not only fried dishes but also various other cuisines," and added, "We will establish ourselves as a leading company in the robot cooking market."