Vancouver, BC-based Cibotica Inc. is a technology company automating the food-making process with robotic solutions. Cibotica’s first product is Remy, a high-tech line cook that makes food preparation more efficient, accurate, and less labour intensive. The company’s goal is to make a restaurant owner’s life easier with fewer issues, less waste, and less uncertainty, while creating a better industry and environment for all food industry collaborators.
Cibotica received $90,741 in funding to help develop a food-safe version of a universal dispensing mechanism and associated control algorithms for use in the company’s robotic salad and bowl makeline.
We talked with Cibotica’s executive team, Ashkan Mirnabavi, Soroush Sefidkar and Daryoush Sahebjavaher, to find out more about the project and the company’s plans.
Q: What is your company’s mission?
A: Our mission is to make food more accessible and affordable by creating a thriving food system which works better for restaurant owners, workers, and consumers.
Q: Why did you apply for this funding and how will you use it?
A: Food dispensing is the most challenging aspect of food robotics due to the inconsistency of ingredients. Current solutions are inconsistent, space-inefficient, and constraining. We are working on developing our food-safe universal dispensing system, the key ingredient to our automated solution. This agnostic dispenser can accurately measure ingredients of various sizes, shapes, textures and preparation methods. We applied for the CFIN Innovation Booster to support the development of this universal dispensing system and solve the restaurant industry’s challenges.
Q: What excites you most about working in this area of the food industry?
A: As restaurant owners who have experienced firsthand the daily challenges restaurants face, we are motivated to solve these issues using automation and robotics. Our knowledge of how to solve them with technology has led us to create Cibotica. This area of the food industry is evolving at a rapid pace, and we are excited to become one of the leaders in the industry. We are also excited to see the Canadian restaurant industry evolve to serve Canadians better.
Q: Why is collaboration so important for accelerating innovation in the food industry? Is it difficult to find good collaborating partners, and what would make the process easier?
A: Collaboration is crucial for accelerating innovation in the food industry. It brings together the expertise, resources and perspectives of others in order to improve existing processes and products. Finding good partners can be challenging, but when there is a shared vision, trust and excellent communication, collaboration comes easy. At Cibotica we are open to collaborations with other technologies to create a better food system for all.
Q: Please comment on the importance of public funding to help companies clear innovation hurdles and access leveraged funds.
A: Public funding is vital in helping companies overcome innovation hurdles by mitigating risks and addressing market failures. It provides financial resources for research and development, prototype development, and market validation, reducing risks associated with innovation. Additionally, public funding motivates companies to tackle complex problems and allows businesses to expand their teams and accelerate product development.
Q: Looking ahead, what’s on the horizon for your company?
A: While we currently concentrate on automating salad and bowl preparation, our bigger aim is to go beyond specific cuisines and expand into other areas of cooking. We aim to become the foremost provider of automation solutions for the restaurant industry and set new standards within this sector. Our universal dispensing technology is poised to become the preferred standard across diverse areas of the food industry, extending its reach beyond restaurants.
Q: What are your passions or hobbies outside of work.
A: Cooking, socializing over a culinary experience, sports, hiking, and travelling.
Q: If you had to pick one person to make you a meal, who would you choose?