A List of Every Coffee Robot I Could Think of
A List of Every Coffee Robot I Could Think of
Plus farm robo-FOMO? A chat with Green Cow VC and the Internet of Tires.
Caffei-nations
Yesterday was International Coffee Day and tomorrow is International Coffee Day. What better way to celebrate both than with a roundup of every coffee robot I could think of?
From Singapore to Switzerland, Brooklyn to Belarus, a host of startups are diligently working away on automated coffee kiosks. And why wouldn’t they? The global coffee market is valued at $101 billion, so there’s plenty of money to be made. And big brands could be attracted to the small footprint and the very-little-labor needed to run a coffee robot.
Some of the names on this list, like Cafe X and Crown Digital you might be familiar with. Others like Rozum Cafe and MyApp — maybe not. Regardless, grab a cup o’ joe and read the full rundown.
Podcast: Why VC Maggie Sprenger is Excited it's a "Bloodbath" out There for Startups
My guest on the OttOmate podcast this week is Maggie Sprenger, the Managing Director at Green Cow Venture Capital, which invests in early stage startups. Sprenger has actually been quite active in the food automation space having backed Bear Flag Robotics (which only raised $12.5 million and was bought this summer by John Deere for $250 million), robot smoothie maker Blendid and the robotics management platform, Freedom Robotics.
In our conversation, Sprenger talks about:
Bear Flag’s exit and the massive opportunity in ag tech
The highly competitive early stage investment landscape
The good and bad of equity crowdfunding
Why she is excited about what a “bloodbath” it is out there for startups
You can also subscribe to OttOmate in Apple Podcasts!
A quick reminder that paid subscribers get access to the OttOmate podcast a week early. Our latest episode features Covahne Michaels of Blendid who talks about the hard work and high costs of equity crowdfunding. It’s fantastic and illuminating for any robot startup looking to raise funds.
Cha- Cha- Cha- Changes
I made two tweaks to the OttOmate publishing schedule this week:
I’m trying out publishing on Thursdays, rather than on Fridays, when you have one foot out the door for the weekend. LMK if this works for you.
Starting this week there is and will be more content behind the paywall for paid subscribers only. I know, that’s never fun to hear, but I want to make sure those supporting OttOmate financially are getting maximum value.
So! General stories based on public news (big funding announcements, partnerships, deployments, etc.) will be available to everyone. Original reported news, analysis, interviews and more will move behind the paywall. This means paid subscribers will be getting more exclusive content, so you should become one!
Headlines You May Have Missed
The Internet of Tires, Why Gatik and Goodyear's Collaboration is Good for Autonomous Delivery (←Pay attention to this story!)
Burro Hauls in $10.9 Million for its Autonomous Farm Robot Platform
Future Acres Forges New Path to Farms through New Sun World Collaboration
Would a Humanoid Robot Help Grocers Avoid Annoyed Customers? (Like this one↓)
For Paid Subscribers:
Burro's CEO on Ag Robot Funding, Farm Labor and Why Using Lidar is Like Drinking Seawater
Podcast: Blendid on the Hidden Work and Costs of Equity Crowdfunding
GUSS Eschews Multi-Purpose "Platform" Play to Stick with Autonomous Crop Spraying
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That’s it for this week.
Stay cool. Have a great summer. Class of ‘90 rulez.