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Based in Berkeley, California, Caldo Restaurant Technologies develops automated kitchen devices and robotic assembly stations designed to replace repetitive food preparation tasks across the commercial foodservice industry. The company provides specialized business-to-business hardware solutions that integrate industrial robotics into limited-service restaurants, off-premise operations, and commissary ghost kitchens to optimize back-of-house economics and maintain controlled temperatures. Operating with a core team of approximately seven employees, the hardware enterprise has secured $2 million in total venture capital funding through financial instruments including early-stage convertible notes. The startup has gained institutional recognition by participating as a selected finalist in the UC Berkeley Launch accelerator program and competing in the joint MIT and Rabobank Food and Agriculture Innovation Prize. To address ongoing labor challenges within the hospitality sector, Caldo Restaurant Technologies was officially founded in 2020 by co-founders Jose Alonso and Joshua Peterson.
Caldo Restaurant Technologies has raised $2.5M across 2 funding rounds.
Caldo Restaurant Technologies has raised $2.5M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Caldo Restaurant Technologies has raised $2.5M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $500K Seed in December 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1, 2024 | $500K Seed | — | Balderton Capital, Berkeley SkyDeck Fund, Carao Ventures, E14 Fund, SOSV, The House Fund, Y Combinator | Announced |
| Apr 1, 2023 | $2M Seed | — | Berkeley SkyDeck Fund, Carao Ventures, E14 Fund, The House Fund, Y Combinator | Announced |
Caldo Restaurant Technologies builds compact, modular robotic kitchen assistants and AI copilots, such as the Libra System, that automate repetitive, error-prone tasks like order verification using weight and vision data.[1][2][3] These tools serve commercial kitchens in restaurants, ghost kitchens, and off-premise foodservice operations, solving labor shortages, reducing errors (e.g., missed ingredients), minimizing refunds, cutting food waste, and improving consistency and diner experience.[1][2][3][4] Founded around 2020-2021 in Berkeley, California, the company has raised $2M in a convertible note stage and offers its solutions as a Robotics-as-a-Service subscription, with early deployments showing quick setup in minutes on minimal counter space.[1][2]
Caldo Restaurant Technologies emerged in 2020 (with some sources noting 2021) amid the foodservice industry's labor crisis, aiming to integrate industrial robotics and AI into commercial kitchens.[1][4] Headquartered at 2001 Addison Street in Berkeley, California, the company focuses on easy-to-adopt tools without invasive hardware changes.[2][3] Early traction includes partnerships like SOSV and a shift toward AI copilots like Libra for scalable kitchen data logging, as seen in real-world examples from San Francisco and Oakland kitchens tracking errors such as missed avocado (10% of issues).[3][4] Pivotal moments involve addressing repetitive tasks in high-pressure environments, with revenue under $5M and fewer than 25 employees.[2]
Caldo rides the wave of collaborative robots (cobots) and AI automation in foodservice, transforming industries facing labor shortages post-pandemic, as highlighted in 2025 news on cobot adoption.[1][4] Timing aligns with rising ghost kitchens, delivery platforms (e.g., DoorDash, Uber Eats), and demands for precision amid refund abuse and waste—market forces favoring scalable, low-cost tools over full robotic kitchens.[1][3] It influences the ecosystem by challenging traditional economics, partnering with investors like SOSV, and competing in a niche with players like Israel's Kitchen Robotics (2019) or India's Mukunda Foods (2012), positioning robotics as accessible for U.S. hospitality.[1][4]
Caldo is poised to expand its Libra System and robotic suite amid accelerating cobot trends and AI kitchen data needs, potentially scaling to more chains as labor pressures persist.[1][3][4] Trends like IoT integration and error-reduction analytics will shape growth, evolving its influence from niche automation to ecosystem-wide standards in foodservice tech. This builds on its mission to protect operators' sales, turning kitchen chaos into reliable revenue.
Caldo Restaurant Technologies has raised $2.5M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Caldo Restaurant Technologies's investors include Balderton Capital, Berkeley SkyDeck Fund, Carao Ventures, E14 Fund, SOSV, The House Fund, Y Combinator.
