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Other investors include South Korean private equity firm IMM and
telco KT Corp, the startup's co-founder and chief operating
officer Juan Higueros told Reuters, declining to disclose the
firm's latest valuation.
Bear Robotics has shipped more than 5,000 of its Servi food
service robots, which carry food and drink between kitchen and
tables on layers of trays, and partnered with industry players
such as Denny's, Chili's and Pepsi.
The California-based startup aims to expand beyond its home
market and Japan and South Korea, where it has partnered with
SoftBank and KT respectively, into Europe and Southeast Asia
amid industry labour shortages.
SoftBank led the startup's Series A round and has shifted to
reselling robots from third parties and formed a joint venture
with household goods maker Iris Ohyama in Japan.
Bear Robotics charges a $999 monthly fee for Servi in the U.S.,
which gives the robot a running cost of around $2.75 per hour,
Higueros said.
The startup plans to roll out two new robots this year, one that
can detect air quality on the move and another that can carry
deliveries from the lobby to upper floors of a building via the
elevator.
Bear Robotics makes its products in South Korea, with the
company relying on its head of manufacturing, who previously
worked for Taiwan's Foxconn, to help navigate the "tough to
manage" supply chain pressures, Higueros said.
(Reporting by Sam Nussey; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
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