Singapore-based kitchen robotics startup Zimplistic is launching its long awaited flagship product, Rotimatic, that makes the traditional Indian flat bread, the staple food for millions of people worldwide, with pre-orders being sent to consumers in Singapore and the US.
Founded in 2008 by Rishi Israni, CEO and Pranoti Nagarkar Israni, CTO, Simplistic began the design process for the Rotimatic – the world’s first full-automated robot flat-bread maker.
Zimplistic has secured 8 patents for its product. The startup has secured US$14.5m funding across 3 rounds since its creation, the last one being an US$11.5m Series B in July 2015 from NSI Ventures and Robert Bosch Venture Capital, the corporate venture arm of Robert Bosch Ltd.
Paired with a mobile app a 10 motor-equipped automated roti-maker has experienced much anticipation as pre-orders from Singapore and US have reportedly hit US$5m in value, before the company stopped taking new orders. The subsequent waiting list is valued at US$115m.
When asked on the origins of the idea, Pranooti said,
Prata-making automation always came up when examining startup ideas.
Rotimatic works by pulling together flour, oil and water from three hoppers, mixing them into a dough and baking it into roti prata under two minutes. It is able to work with any wheat flour brand, allows for customization of the roti and doughballs and flour discs for poori’s.
One can make up to 20 rotis at once, and can program the machine from the mobile app synced with the machine. The machine’s connectivity allows for easy software updates to communicate machine data for potential tech support.
Challenges were faced in every aspect of the software and hardware design and construction. Rishi Israni and Pranoti Nagarkar Israni further said,
We really took time to finish up the technology and we are proud of the product we have been developing since 2008. The Rotimatic has and is constantly being tested in our workshop, and we are confident of its quality. One machine has an expected life cycle of more than 20 000 rotis.The feedback we’ve been getting so far is fantastic, and we are excited to finally answer this very high demand that we have had for our product.
As of today, the Rotimatic will only be sold on the company’s website, as a wish for controlled, organic growth. Mentioned as “one of the best” inventions at CES 2015, the rotimatic aims to automate the roti making process, central component in many asian cuisines.
