USA | Serve Robotics has acquired the assets of Vebu Inc. to strengthen its strategic positioning within the foodservice technology sector.
Serve Robotics Inc, an autonomous robotic delivery company, has announced its agreement to acquire the assets of Vebu Inc., a trailblazer in full-stack automation and robotics solutions for restaurant partners. Financial terms of the all-stock transaction were not disclosed.
The acquisition has strengthened Serve's strategic positioning by providing its restaurant partners with a suite of automation solutions and expanding Serve's offering beyond delivery into back-of-house automation. Vebu will help Serve become a more integral partner to restaurants, accelerating partner adoption as Serve expands its geographic footprint in new cities across the U.S.
Vebu's signature robotic product is the Autocado, the pioneering avocado-processing robot that eliminates the need for restaurant workers to spend hours cutting, coring and scooping avocados to prepare guacamole. The Autocado allows employees to load up to 25 pounds of avocados into the device and walk away to focus on serving customers and preparing other items. It is now in pilot testing in Chipotle's Huntington Beach, California restaurant.
Vebu's founder and CEO Buck Jordan will join Serve Robotics as SVP of Kitchen Automation. He will continue to lead the Vebu team, overseeing Autocado's continued development and driving additional innovations on the product roadmap. Jordan, a serial entrepreneur who previously founded Miso Robotics, will bring deep expertise and connections in kitchen automation. His experience in the sector, combined with Vebu's innovation, will bolster Serve's ability to address the labour shortages faced by the restaurant industry.
"By adding Vebu's pioneering kitchen automation capabilities to our autonomous delivery offering, we are uniquely positioned to utilise robotics and AI to solve the labour shortages plaguing the restaurant industry. This acquisition underscores our commitment to helping our partners operate more efficiently and to expanding our partnerships with national chain restaurants like Chipotle. We are thrilled to be joined by an accomplished team pioneering an innovative technology, operating as a separate business unit within our organisation," said Ali Kashani, CEO and co-founder of Serve Robotics.
Buck Jordan, founder and CEO of Vebu, said he was thrilled to join the Serve Robotics team, which he has known and supported since the early days as an investor.
“This is an exciting opportunity to merge our expertise and bring groundbreaking automation to a wider audience. Together, we will provide a suite of automation solutions that will change the future of restaurant operations," said Buck.’
Vebu joins Serve with a balance sheet that supports its operations to complete its pilot with Chipotle. This acquisition strengthens Serve's core business and long-term strategy to be a leader in restaurant automation.
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