This is Infresh
INNOVATING FOOD TECH WITH INDUSTRY AUTOMATION
Let's dive into our MotionLab.Ventures startup portfolio today! Why exactly now? We recently welcomed a new startup and are proud to now announce the latest startup to join our MotionLab.Ventures investment portfolio a few weeks ago: infresh!
Let’s dive into our MotionLab.Ventures startup portfolio today! Why exactly now? We recently welcomed a new startup a few weeks ago: infresh!
Last week we told you more about our startup investment support MotionLab.Ventures, how it all started and the path we have taken since then. Haven’t read the first part yet? Then definitely take a look here!
Today we would like to dive into our MotionLab.Ventures startup portfolio and give you a very first insight into our investments. Why exactly now? We recently welcomed a new startup and are proud to now announce the latest startup to join our MotionLab.Ventures investment portfolio a few weeks ago: infresh!
Infresh is on a mission to make healthy food more accessible and affordable for everyone. Their food industry automation solution, an autonomous food dispensing robot, revolutionises the way food is served and distributed in the gastro industry. The robot combines advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, and precision engineering to automate the process of dispensing food. This food industry automation technology enables operational efficiency and hygienic food placement while reducing human labor and potential errors.
HOW DOES INFRESH'S INDUSTRY AUTOMATION WORK?
It is rather simple. By utilising an industry automation dispensing robot, food preparation can be automated, customised and the current hygiene and safety levels improved.
It is rather simple. By utilising an industry automation dispensing robot, food preparation can be automated, customised and the current hygiene and safety levels improved.
“This food tech product is a testament to the ongoing integration of technology in various aspects of our daily lives.” Tayla, Managing Director of MotionLab.Ventures about the collaboration with infresh. “Personally, I really like the team and I am keen to support them. They bring such a diverse range of skill sets, industry experience and complement each other perfectly. However, in addition to that it is the industry automation product itself that is special.”
The team that shares their passion for food also managed to build an advanced prototype in a short period of time. For now they are focusing on small and easy to use food tech machines with high flexibility enabling personalised and fresh food.
WHY DID INFRESH CHOOSE US?
“MotionLab.Ventures created a vital international team providing all ingredients to successfully develop and scale our solution for the hospitality sector. Coachings on funding, legal, manufacturing enable us to speed up in business and product development and focus on our core food tech industry automation solution.” Jürgen Keller, CEO of infresh, about the support within MotionLab.Ventures.
LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY AUTOMATION
Jürgen sees a lot of potential in the area of industry automation within fresh food preparation. For him this will be the key for solving labour shortage in the hospitality industry. But autonomous food tech robotics solutions also help with repetitive work so the staff can fully focus on their guests.
Their biggest challenge? Jürgen Keller: “Scaling a startup from the idea to product rollout is a process that requires decision making in early phases without knowing the final product in detail. Agile development and a passion for bringing complex solutions into application is a prerequisite for success in hardtech.”
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE FOR MOTIONLAB.VENTURES LOOK LIKE?
MotionLab.Ventures not only invests financially in infresh, we actively support in terms of hardtech coaching, production and building a strong network. The goal is of course to enable them in finalising their food industry automation product and scale up.
There are plans to invest in more pre-seed hardware startups that are contributing to reducing carbon emissions. How can you apply, Tayla? “Our main rule is that you need to be hardware based, working on a solution that will reduce CO2 emissions and not exceed a current valuation of 3m€.”
And how have the last months as Managing Director of a fund been Tayla?
“It has been a wild ride. But in all honesty that does not surprise us. Startup life is wild. It is filled with the ups and downs and we are ready for it and willing to support them to navigate the good and the bad. I for one am really excited about the development of both Lite+Fog and infresh. They have secured their first POCs, their teams are growing and the prototypes are developing. What could be more rewarding than seeing them move in the right direction?
THIS IS NOT THE END - STAY TUNED FOR PART 3!
Thank you Jürgen Keller and Tayla Sheldrake for this interview. We are excited to be on this journey with you!
However, this is by no means the end of our MotionLab.Ventures blog series. When we talk about our startup portfolio, one startup that has been with us since the launch in June 2023 should of course not be missing: Lite&Fog. Stay tuned and make sure to check back here next Thursday to find out more about Lite&Fog. See you there!
