[Serving Robot CEO] ⑤ 'Opening a Sundubu Restaurant in Silicon Valley Leads to Robot Development'... No.1 in the Japanese Market

Ha Jung-woo, CEO of Bear Robotics
Started a Sundubu Restaurant as a Side Business While Working at Google
Founded Company with Confidence in Serving Robot Success... Raised 37 Billion KRW Investment from SoftBank

Ha Jung-woo, CEO of Bear Robotics.

"Korea must not remain merely a consumer of robots. We need to leap forward as a robot manufacturing nation."

At the Bear Robotics Korea headquarters in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, Ha Jung-woo, CEO of Bear Robotics, expressed his concerns, saying, "It's unfortunate to see many vacant industrial complexes in the provinces these days." He pointed out that Korea's image as a 'manufacturing powerhouse' is gradually fading due to startups avoiding manufacturing and the continuous relocation of production plants overseas. He emphasized, "Policies should be designed to support robot production and exports, not just to provide government subsidies for robot adoption," adding, "Otherwise, startups that have just entered robot manufacturing will lose their self-sustainability."

Bear Robotics recently developed serving robots commonly seen in restaurants. The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley, USA. CEO Ha graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in Computer Engineering, worked at Intel Research, and was a software engineer at Google. In 2016, while working at Google, he opened a sundubu (soft tofu stew) restaurant in Silicon Valley as a side business. Facing a shortage of workers and difficulty hiring staff, he decided to create a serving robot. Without hesitation, he resigned from Google and founded Bear Robotics in 2017. He recalled, "I considered ventures in genetics, bio, software, and shared bicycles, but none seemed worth quitting Google for. However, I had strong conviction about serving robots."

Bear Robotics first gained recognition in the United States. The serving robot 'Penny,' developed at the company's inception, gained popularity and participated in the 2018 National Restaurant Association Show (NRA Show), the largest exhibition in the US foodservice industry. This led to securing $2.8 million (approximately 3.3 billion KRW) in seed investment, and in 2019, the company also participated in the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

The company’s significant growth began in 2020 when it secured $32 million (approximately 37 billion KRW) in Series A investment from SoftBank. With stable funding, Bear Robotics launched its first mass-produced serving robot model, 'Servi.' CEO Ha said, "Collaborating with SoftBank allowed us to learn a lot about distribution, sales, and after-sales service (AS)," adding, "There were times when engineers and I stayed up all night preparing reports to get approval from SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son."

Ha Jung-woo, CEO of Bear Robotics, is explaining the company's serving robot in an interview with Asia Economy.

With a strong supporter behind them, Bear Robotics entered the Japanese market in 2021. Bear Robotics develops and manufactures the robots, while SoftBank Robotics, a SoftBank subsidiary, handles distribution. Currently, they hold the number one market share for serving robots in Japan. 'Servi' quickly replaced Chinese robots, which frequently malfunctioned, due to its excellent mobility even in small Japanese restaurants with narrow table spacing. CEO Ha noted, "Due to aging and other factors, many restaurant owners in Japan are seeking serving robots," adding, "Our strategy of focusing on customer satisfaction rather than price competitiveness moved their hearts."

In Korea, KT primarily handles the distribution of serving robots. The monthly rental fee borne by small business owners is about 650,000 KRW. CEO Ha said, "It's not easy to introduce a product into the foodservice industry, but KT has excellent technology and a nationwide sales network, so we receive a lot of support." He added, "Besides KT, we are supplying robots in collaboration with various companies such as CJ, SPC, Shinsegae, and Hoban Construction."

Bear Robotics manufactures all serving robots on a made-to-order basis at a factory located in Gumi, Gyeongbuk. Although employees at the US headquarters suggested manufacturing in China for price competitiveness, CEO Ha pushed firmly for domestic production. He explained, "I explained Korea's manufacturing capabilities and hardware strengths to the two co-founders of Chinese and American nationality and gained their agreement," adding, "Unlike mass-produced industrial goods, robots are produced in small quantities with many varieties, so the production cost difference between Korea and China is not significant."

Location of 'Bear Robotics Tech Center'. (Photo by Daegu City Hall)

Last month, Bear Robotics signed an investment agreement with Daegu City and Dalseong County to build a service robot research and manufacturing facility in Daegu Technopolis. They plan to invest 68.3 billion KRW to build the 'Bear Robotics Tech Center' on a 22,424㎡ site within Daegu Technopolis. The Tech Center will begin construction in the second half of this year and start full operation by the end of next year. CEO Ha said, "It will serve as a kind of driving license test site for researching, developing (R&D), and testing robots."

Last year, Bear Robotics secured 100 billion KRW in Series B investment from private equity firms including IMM Private Equity. They also added new robot lineups such as 'Servi Air,' 'Servi Plus,' and 'Servi Lift.' Bear Robotics plans to cumulatively supply 15,000 to 20,000 serving robots domestically and internationally by the end of this year. CEO Ha stated, "Early next year, we plan to introduce indoor delivery robots that can freely move up and down elevators," and added, "We will also expand our market further into Europe and Southeast Asia."