Shinstar Presents Launches OLHSO House,
the First Immersive Korean BBQ Flagship Store in Silicon Valley
Accelerating Entry into the U.S. Market with Unmanned Robot Kitchens and New Investment
Shinstar Presents, a kitchen automation foodtech startup, announced that it has secured a Series A bridge investment worth 5 billion KRW from investors including Translink Investment, CJ Investment, and Villance Investment.
Shinstar Presents is the first startup in the world to commercialize a mobile unmanned robot kitchen. Recently, the company launched the Korean BBQ brand 'OLHSO', targeting the California market in the United States. Centered around the 'OLHSO' brand, Shinstar Presents plans to enter the U.S. market by operating unmanned automated cooking trucks and flagship stores.
The OLHSO Truck is a mobile unmanned robot kitchen business that commercializes Shinstar Presents' proprietary unmanned automation system for delivery and catering services. Since its launch in the second half of last year, it has gained a strong foothold in the local California market, receiving high customer satisfaction ratings such as a 4.9 on Google and 4.8 on Yelp, recognized for both taste and service. The company plans to expand into new regions starting this year.
The flagship store, OLHSO House, recently opened as the first immersive dining venue in California, showcasing Shinstar Presents' kitchen automation technology and F&B expertise. Since its soft opening in mid-April, the store has sold out every seat daily. By providing a unique Korean BBQ gourmet experience exclusive to OLHSO House, the company aims to strengthen the 'OLHSO' brand, build a loyal customer base, and expand its target market presence.
Additionally, Shinstar Presents plans to launch a new concept unmanned restaurant, 'OLHSO Express', within this year by expanding its proprietary unmanned automation technology to fully automate key elements such as ordering, payment, and serving in robot kitchens. OLHSO Express is a micro-restaurant format capable of 24-hour unmanned operation, and the company is currently in discussions to open locations at major international airports and global IT company campuses in the United States. Notably, Shinstar Presents has recently received proposals from several international airports, including Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport.
Based on this strong customer demand, Shinstar Presents intends to accelerate the establishment of the OLHSO Express business model, create business synergies with the existing OLHSO Truck and OLHSO House, diversify revenue streams, and secure a leading position in the world's largest market.
Kim Hyungyu, Senior Investment Manager at CJ Investment, who participated in this round, explained, "Shinstar Presents has internalized core technology for food robots and introduced the Cook-en-Route service model, which enables cooking in transit, to Korean cuisine. This is the world's first such case to be commercially licensed in the United States. With the successful launch of the 'OLHSO' brand, we expect Shinstar Presents to become a key player in both the food robot and K-food sectors."
Shin Jongmyung, CEO of Shinstar Presents, stated, "Recently, demand for Korean cuisine in the U.S. market has surged, and we are witnessing significant interest from American investors in Korean food franchises, especially as a Korean BBQ franchise company has been listed on the NASDAQ. The strength of Shinstar Presents' 'OLHSO' brand lies in its differentiation through unmanned and automated operations powered by advanced robotics. In particular, by applying robotics to the Korean food sector, which is difficult to standardize, we aim to rapidly expand in the large-scale market and become the number one Korean BBQ franchise brand in the United States."
Shinstar Presents was recently selected for the fourth cohort of Frontier Labs, an open innovation program in collaboration with CJ CheilJedang, and is expanding business channels with major corporations, such as introducing automated equipment to advanced catering services at Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix semiconductor campuses. In April, the company also hosted the 'Next Round in Silicon Valley' event organized by KDB at OLHSO House, successfully announcing its full-scale entry into the U.S. market to investors.
Shinstar Presents stated that it plans to accelerate follow-up investments after this funding round, expedite the launch of OLHSO Express in the second half of this year, and, with thorough preparation in R&D and business infrastructure, secure a leading position in the high-growth Korean BBQ robot kitchen sector within its target market.
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