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Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

Michael Wolf

Jack Bobo: Don’t Let Your Ideology Muddle The Message About Your Food Product

In the second episode of Food Truths on our newly announced Spoon Podcast Network, Eric Schulze sits down with Jack Bobo, Executive Director of the Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies at UCLA, to dive into the complexities of food production, consumer psychology, and the evolving alternative protein market. But my biggest takeaway? The food industry needs to do a much better job of communicating with consumers—and that means factoring in consumer psychology from the very beginning, not as an afterthought.

As Bobo said on LinkedIn about the episode: “How we communicate innovation can mean the difference between acceptance or rejection, progress or pushback.”

A Career Rooted in Food and Policy

The conversation starts with a look back at Jack’s career trajectory, which started on a self-sustaining farm in Indiana. He initially pursued environmental science and law in school, but his career trajectory eventually landed him at the U.S. State Department, where he discovered that agriculture was at the root of significant environmental challenges like deforestation and water consumption. This realization that sustainable food production could be a solution rather than a problem set him on a path to influence global food policy.

After a decade at the State Department working on agricultural biotechnology, sustainability, and food security, Bobo moved into the private sector, focusing on innovative food technologies. Now, as the head of UCLA’s Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies, he’s not just analyzing market forces—he’s navigating the competing narratives in food and ag tech, working to bridge divides through science and psychology to reshape how food, innovation, and sustainability are discussed.

Consumer Psychology and Food Communication

One of Bobo’s biggest takeaways from his time at the State Department was how psychology shapes public perceptions of food. He found that leading conversations with science and technology would often alienate consumers instead of persuading them. Instead, he turned to behavioral science, cognitive psychology, and marketing strategies to better understand how people make food choices.

“Science at the beginning of the conversation just polarizes the audience,” Bobo said. “Those who agree with you, agree more. But those who don’t actually push further against you. The key is to frame messages in ways that connect emotionally and align with people’s existing values.”

Bobo argues that many alternative protein companies fail because they focus too much on their mission and not enough on the sensory experience of their products. Consumers buy food for taste, convenience, and price—not for environmental impact or technological novelty. The key to winning them over is to offer indulgent, satisfying products and market them in a way that aligns with existing consumer food preferences rather than trying to convert them through ideology.

While the alternative protein industry has made strides, Bobo believes many companies have miscalculated their approach.

“Most people won’t buy your product because they believe what you believe,” he said. “They will buy it in spite of it. You need to get your personal beliefs out of the way and let them enjoy your product without feeling like they have to adopt a new ideology.”

He also discussed unnecessary conflicts with the traditional meat and dairy industries. The biggest competitor to dairy, Bobo argues, isn’t plant-based milk—it’s bottled water. Similarly, alternative proteins should focus less on replacing meat and more on coexisting within a diverse food system.

At UCLA, Bobo aims to tackle the growing tensions in food debates by applying behavioral science to communication strategies. He hopes to foster collaboration across the food industry and reduce the polarization that often slows progress. By better understanding consumer psychology, he believes companies can introduce sustainable and nutritious food innovations more effectively—without alienating the very consumers they’re trying to reach.

You can listen to the full conversation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch the full conversation below. If you like this, make sure to subscribe to Eric’s new podcast and leave a review!

Can We Actually Feed the World?

Kiwibot Takes Cracker Barrel to the SuperBowl as Sidewalk Robot Startups Eye New Revenue Streams

Last fall, sidewalk delivery robot pioneer Kiwibot acquired mobile vehicle advertising firm Nickelytics, for $25 million.

At the time, the move seemed a bit out of left field, but in reality, it makes strategic sense. By acquiring Nickelytics, Kiwibot is unlocking a new revenue stream in out-of-home (OOH) advertising—not just on its fleet of 500 delivery robots, but also through Nickelytics’ existing ad formats, including car wraps, truck-based ads, and digital placements in ride-share vehicles.

The move also allows Kiwibot to give OOH advertising-interested brands some pretty cutting-edge features. By integrating its route mapping technology with Nickelytics’ data analytics, Kiwibot enables advertisers to track impressions and engagement more effectively. With a presence across 20+ states, the company can target high-traffic zones with precision.

And what better way to showcase this capability than at the Super Bowl? Kiwibot is deploying 50 branded robots near the Caesars Superdome to promote Cracker Barrel Cheese. These bots won’t just be rolling billboards—they’ll also distribute free cheese samples to game-bound fans. While the Super Bowl is known for over-the-top advertising stunts, Cracker Barrel is taking a different approach. Instead of spending $8 million on a 30-second TV spot, the brand is betting on novelty, hoping for social media buzz and earned media coverage.

Kiwibot, founded in 2017, is part of a broader trend among autonomous delivery companies diversifying their business models. Its peers are making similar moves—Starship is ramping up its own ad-services business, while Serve Robotics is expanding into back-of-house automation through its acquisition of Vebu and the development of its Autocado robot.

While Amazon Struggles With Futuristic Retail, Sam’s Club is Doubling Down on Computer-Vision To Aid Store Exits

An interesting set of stories came out over the past week, which showed how two retail giants are leveraging technology to help consumers get out of the store faster.

One one hand, you have Amazon halving its Go store count to 16 locations, shifting focus to licensing its “Just Walk Out” technology to third-party retailers.

On the flip side, Walmart’s bulk membership club Sam’s Club is investing more heavily to use computer vision to aid shoppers to get out of the store faster.

The key difference? Sam’s Club is using computer vision for receipt verification. Previously, members had to stop at the exit while associates manually checked receipts, causing bottlenecks. Now, cameras at the exit automatically scan carts and verify purchases, allowing members to walk out without interruption. AI works in the background to refine accuracy, while employees are freed up to assist shoppers rather than policing receipts.

Contrast this with Just Walk Out, which is Amazon’s effort to eliminate the checkout experience all together which, it appears for many people, is still too weird and feels a little to close to shoplifting.

As I wrote last year, Just Walk Out is “a radically tech-forward evolution of checkout, but one in which Amazon appears to have widely overestimated just how many people would use it and how easy it would be to implement. Self-checkout fits most shoppers’ needs when they are in a hurry, and there aren’t that many situations where consumers feel they need to skip checkout altogether.”

A New Report Details Promise (and Challenges) of Canada’s Food & Ag Tech Ecosystem

The Canadian food and agtech ecosystem is experiencing significant growth, according to a new report published today by the Canadian Food Innovation Network.

The report, which dives deep into specific sectors, funding, sector sizing, key challenges and opportunities, says the Canadian agrifoodtech ecosystem lags behind global leaders in both funding and company concentration. According to the report, USD $1.6 billion has been invested in the sector since 2018, with plant-based proteins emerging as Canada’s largest food tech domain, valued at USD $1.7 billion in 2023. However, compared to its global peers, which tend to allocate just 17% of total agrifoodtech investments into agtech, Canada is a bit over-indexed in agtech with 44% of investments compared to 56% invested in food tech (56%).

Despite a total investment in food tech that is smaller relative to its global peers, the report says Canada is establishing itself as a hub for plant-based proteins, biotech-enabled functional foods, and upcycled ingredients:

“The Plant-Based sector is the most significant, comprising 26% of the Canadian food tech ecosystem (investment), compared to 14% globally. This is followed by Functional Foods & Drinks, representing 12% of companies, and Biotech/ Synthetization—primarily focused on specialty ingredients —with 7% of the Canadian food tech ecosystem. All three domains are also amongst the top five most represented globally.“

According to the report, the Canadian food and ag tech ecosystem faces key challenges relative to the US and other markets, the biggest of which is a lack of private capital. Only 40% of food tech investment rounds are backed by venture capital, compared to 60% in the UK and US. This means a heavy reliance on public grants, which comprise nearly 30% of total funding. This is much higher than in the UK (5%) and US (8%). Other challenges include limited scaling resources due to the country’s large geography and lower overall population density, a fragmented regulatory environment and lack of a national food tech strategy.

Despite these challenges, Canadian Food Innovation Network CEO Dana McCauley is optimistic about the sector’s future.

“These challenges are daunting: labour shortages, supply chain vulnerabilities, climate change, and slow rates of innovation threaten the resilience and sustainability of our food system. Yet, Canada’s foodtech ecosystem is rising to the occasion. By leveraging its unique strengths in plant-based proteins, biotech-enabled functional foods, upcycled ingredients, and beyond, the sector is driving transformative innovations that enhance sustainability, boost economic productivity, and create jobs across the country.”

If you’d like to read the full report, you can find it on the CFIN website.

Bonsai’s Announcement Shows Momentum for ‘Physical AI’ in Food & Ag Continues Post-CES

While NVIDIA’s taken a beating the last couple of weeks with the industry-shaking release of DeepSeek, company CEO Jensen Huang’s talk at CES about how AI models are now extending to help us gain a better understanding of our physical world continues to be a tailwind behind those startups levering AI for robotics, computer vision systems and more in a variety of industries.

Including agriculture. Sure, Bonsai’s round was probably nailed down before CES but the announcement’s big emphasis on physical AI was undoubtedly influenced by the big buzz coming out of the big tech show. Bonsai, which makes AI-driven autonomous systems for harsh farming environments, announced last week they’ve secured $15 million in Series A funding to enhance its software, expand its platform, and accelerate commercialization.

The company’s flagship technology, Visionsteer, enables autonomous navigation and data analysis in orchards, even in challenging conditions such as dust, darkness, and uneven terrain. The company says it has over 40 deployed units and has collected data from more than 500,000 acres, which it says translates into lower costs, increased yields, and operational insights previously unavailable through traditional farming methods.

You can check out the company’s hero reel of their computer vision below.

Bonsai 2024 Introduction Video

FirstBuild’s Latest Funky Kitchen Gadget is a Device Which Feeds & Manages Your Sourdough Starter

In a world where many kitchen appliance brands have downsized or eliminated their innovation arms, FirstBuild, the device innovation and incubation for GE Appliances, is generating (and building) more ideas than ever.

The group, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, has developed 104 products and features, with 37 making their way into the GE Appliances portfolio. Along the way, it has raised over $5.2 million through crowdfunding and built a community of 245,000 builders who submit ideas, vote on projects, and occasionally back them financially.

Unlike traditional corporate R&D departments, FirstBuild invites its community of makers, engineers, and consumers to contribute ideas and test prototypes in its 35,000-square-foot makerspace at the University of Louisville. This approach has led to some viral hits, including the Opal Nugget Ice Maker, which launched on Indiegogo and raised $2.8 million before a prototype was even completed. FirstBuild was also the birthplace of the Arden indoor smoker, a CES 2024 hit that is rapidly gaining a fanbase in the grilling community.

Sourdough Sidekick - Design Reveal (UPDATE)

FirstBuild’s latest project is designed for home bakers who love sourdough but don’t want the hassle of maintaining a starter. Currently in prototype stage, the Sourdough Sidekick automates the feeding process, ensuring the starter stays healthy and ready without the daily commitment. While traditional methods require constant attention, FirstBuild claims the Sidekick can sustain a starter for up to seven days, adapting to the home baker’s schedule. The device features a built-in flour hopper, water tank, and a smart dispensing system that measures and delivers the right amounts to keep the starter thriving. It will also monitor ambient kitchen conditions, making adjustments as needed to optimize fermentation.

Of course, FirstBuild’s Sidekick isn’t the first smart sourdough manager on the market. Fred Benenson, former head of data for Kickstarter, created Breadwinner during the pandemic, a smart sourdough monitoring device that tracks a starter’s growth and notifies bakers when it reaches peak activity, ensuring optimal baking times. Priced at $50, Breadwinner features real-time monitoring and smart notifications, allowing bakers to receive alerts via email, pop-ups, or SMS.

The Sidekick, in contrast, is more of a full-fledged automated feeder and management appliance, offering a more hands-off approach. Given its more advanced functionality, it’s likely to come at a significantly higher price than Breadwinner’s affordable $50 price tag.

While the sourdough craze of the pandemic has certainly cooled, my guess is there are still far more home bakers today than there were five years ago and there’s a good chance rising food prices may even spark a new wave of would-be bread bakers looking to make fresh loaves at home. If that’s the case, FirstBuild’s Sourdough Sidekick could arrive at just the right time to offer enthusiasts an easy way to feed both their baking obsession and their hungry starters.

After More Than a Decade, Wireless Power For The Kitchen Is Set to Become a Reality

It has been almost a decade since we at The Spoon began covering efforts to establish a wireless power standard for the kitchen.

Our coverage started when the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) released its first white paper announcing plans to bring wireless power to kitchen appliances. Until then, the consortium was primarily known for developing the Qi standard, which enabled wireless phone charging. However, in February 2017, WPC revealed its vision to extend this technology to blenders, mixers, and other small appliances, aiming to eliminate power cords.

Eight years is a long time, but the push for wireless power in the kitchen actually began nearly four years earlier, in 2013, when Philips and Haier urged WPC to explore a kitchen standard. It would take nearly four more years for the initiative to gain traction among WPC members.

Given the lengthy lead-up to developing a kitchen standard, it’s no surprise that when WPC formally announced its efforts in 2017, the group was (overly) optimistic about when products would hit the market. “We could be looking at products out next year,” Hans Kablau, head of the WPC Kitchen standard, told me at the time.

While those products didn’t arrive in 2018, they now appear to be finally arriving in 2025. After unveiling its first Ki-compliant products in 2024, Midea plans to launch its Celestial Flex Series—which includes a blender, steamer, and kettle—this year. The company has yet to announce pricing, but representatives at WPC’s CES booth confirmed they expect the products to ship in 2025..

You can watch a demo at the WPC booth below:

A Look at The Cordless Power Tech Coming to Market in 2025

Other early Ki products, equipped with integrated transmission coils, are expected to include induction cooktops. However, WPC envisions the technology being installed beneath various countertop surfaces in the long run. The Ki standard is designed to work with non-metal surfaces such as marble, slate, granite, laminate, and wood.

Given its decade-plus gestation period, it’s not surprising that other startups have also attempted to integrate wireless power into appliances and kitchen surfaces. Last year, I covered Cloen, a Spanish startup that developed Cloen Cordless Technology (CCT)—a dual induction plate system capable of both heating cook zones and wirelessly powering countertop appliances. Since last year, Porcelanosa has featured Cloen’s technology in custom-designed kitchen countertops and furniture. The company is also working on a line of cordless countertop appliances under the BeCordless brand.

Another company, Kitchenery, has also been developing wireless power transfer technology and cordless cooking appliances. At CES, Kitchenery debuted its induction kettle, aimed at the RV and marine industries. The company is also partnering with appliance brands and OEMs to integrate its power-receiving system into various products. Kitchenery expects to begin shipping its Quantum energy pad and silent blender this year.

Watch our interview with CEO Akshay Bhuva below.

Kitchenery at CES 2025

The emergence of wireless power for the kitchen reflects a broader trend: technology is receding into the background as kitchens become more streamlined and functional. Advancements in AI, voice and gesture interfaces, and miniaturization are driving this transformation. Now, after more than a decade of development, wireless power is poised to play a key role in this shift.

A Conversation With Bear Robotics’ John Ha on LG Deal and The Future of The Company

“But the really important story is not about 51% acquisition. It’s more about we are acquiring their robotics business,” said Ha. “Among LG conglomerates, we’re the ones who’re going to carry on with the robotics business globally. And that’s, I think, the really major news item.”

That Bear was inheriting LG’s robotics business was hinted at in the coverage, but in our interview John made it clear that Bear will be steering the strategy and technology development going forward for the entire company.

Another surprise from our interview? That Bear is planning to still IPO in the future.

From Ha: “We have enough funding to put into R&D, and then we’re planning for an IPO as our next step. We can probably break even in two to four years.”

A key component of the partnership will be adapting Bear Robotics’ platform to develop robots for additional sectors, including factories, warehouses, and even the home. While LG has previously shown consumer-friendly robotic concepts at events such as CES, Ha believes Bear Robotics’ software expertise will likely accelerate the commercialization of home-oriented robots.

“For us to get into new areas and make breakthroughs is so much easier now…LG has a lot of plans for the home. We can help them save time and improve their products to get to market faster.”

Ha noted that because Bear was one of the pioneers in this space of service robots, he believes his company can serve as a well-established partner for other robotics companies that want to integrate their solutions into new verticals.

“We are opening our platform,” said Ha. “We already have around a little bit over five companies working together. They’re using our platform to build their robotics applications. And they can sell through our network. They can use our installation service or tech support. It’s still early stage, but I think it makes sense

Subscribers to Spoon Plus can watch the full conversation and read the transcript to our interview with John Ha.

How Working the Land (and with Steve Jobs and Michael Dell) Led Tim Bucher to Build a Farming Automation Company

While many tech entrepreneurs dream of retiring as a gentleman farmer, Tim Bucher’s journey took the opposite trajectory. It was only after he bought and started working on his own farm at age 16 that a young Bucher discovered his love for software programming in college. That realization embarked him on a career that would eventually see him working alongside Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, and other Silicon Valley legends.

Yet, despite all his success in tech, Bucher never left the farm behind. In fact, for most of his life, he has straddled the high-tech world of innovation in Silicon Valley and the vineyards of California’s wine country. Now, as the founder and CEO of Agtonomy, Bucher is merging his two lifelong passions—technology and agriculture—to address one of the farming industry’s biggest challenges: labor shortages and operational inefficiencies.

On a recent episode of The Spoon Podcast, Bucher reflected on his early efforts to use innovation to tackle real-world farming challenges. His farm, Trattori Farms, produces grapes and olives—high-value crops that require precise, labor-intensive care. Over the years, he automated irrigation and winemaking processes, but one critical challenge remained: mechanized labor in the fields.

“The gap between rising costs and revenue was closing,” Bucher explained. “I kept automating everything I could, but I couldn’t automate the skilled labor that was needed out in the vineyards and orchards.”

It wasn’t until Bucher watched a documentary about NASA’s Mars rover that he began thinking about how automation could be applied to farming in a way that made sense for both longtime farmers like himself and the manufacturers of the equipment they trust.

“If we can have self-driving vehicles on Mars, why can’t we have them in our orchards and vineyards?” Bucher said. “There’s no traffic on Mars—just like in agriculture.”

This realization led him to found Agtonomy, a company that transforms traditional tractors into autonomous farming machines. But rather than disrupt the farm equipment industry, Agtonomy’s approach is to partner with manufacturers—helping them integrate drive-by-wire and AI technology into their existing models.

“Farmers trust their brands,” Bucher said. “They need the dealer networks, the parts, the service. Buying farm equipment from a startup isn’t realistic. That’s why Agtonomy is helping manufacturers digitally transform, rather than disrupt.”

As AI continues to evolve, Bucher envisions a future where farmers manage their fields remotely—relying on AI agents to analyze data, recommend actions, and deploy autonomous tractors at optimal times.

“Imagine sitting in a command center where AI tells you, ‘Given the soil, weather, and crop conditions, you should send your autonomous tractors out at 9:12 AM on Wednesday,’” he said. “And you just hit ‘Go.’”

While Bucher sees the potential of automated farming, he doesn’t believe technology will replace human farmers—instead, he sees it as a tool to make them more efficient.

“People fear AI taking jobs, but in farming, we don’t have enough labor. This technology doesn’t replace people—it enables them to do more with less.”

For Bucher, Agtonomy was the logical next step, given his lifelong love for both technology and farming. But beyond personal passion, he believes automation is necessary for the survival of modern agriculture.

“Agriculture has to evolve,” he said. “If we don’t automate, we won’t survive.”

You can listen to the full podcast below, or find it on Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Meet The Spoon Podcast Network

Here at The Spoon, we—like you—are big fans of podcasts.

What’s not to love? Whether we’re diving deep into a topic we’re passionate about, researching a story, or exploring new interests just beginning to take root, podcasts have become an indispensable resource for us. And we know many of our readers feel the same way.

Personally, I’ve been podcasting and using podcasts as part of my process of discovering and writing about food tech innovators for most of the past decade. As a journalist, podcasts play a crucial role in my reporting process. They’ve allowed me to open-source my discovery journey, bringing The Spoon community along as I learn from subject matter experts about how the world is changing and the industries they’ve mastered.

As both a consumer and a creator of media, I’ve found podcasts to be more essential than ever—especially in an era of AI-generated content. With so much AI-generated media flooding our feeds, it’s becoming harder to discern what’s authentic—whether in written, audio, or video form. That’s why embracing trusted, verifiable voices is more important than ever. Podcasts provide a space for genuine conversations with real people, and that’s something worth amplifying.

Podcasts were also at the forefront of the great decentralization of media. This technology, which started over two decades ago, gave independent voices a platform—no massive media infrastructure required. At The Spoon, we believe strongly in independent media, and we want to leverage our own platform to bring new voices to our community and beyond.

All of this brings us to an exciting announcement: We’re launching our own podcast network!

The idea for The Spoon Podcast Network (TSPN) came to life last year as we engaged with insightful voices across the food tech and future-of-food community. We realized there were so many stories to tell and perspectives to share. While we could certainly invite some of these great minds onto The Spoon Podcast, we started to wonder: What if we could do more? What if we could tap into these experts and leverage The Spoon (and our and their collective networks) to extend their insights, conversations, and discoveries to a broader audience?

In other words, could we open-source the explorations of smart people across food, nutrition, and modern life—so that more of us can learn, engage, and join the conversation?

So that’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re launching a great slate of new podcast hosts, and we’re already in talks with more creators to grow the network. Here’s our debut lineup of new podcasts launching with our partners:

Food Truths

On Food Truths, Food scientist Eric Schulze—former head of Global Regulatory at UPSIDE Foods and a former FDA regulator—will bring on smart minds from the food world and beyond to bust myths, uncover surprising truths, and dive deep into the science of food. (Apple Podcasts, Spotify).

Watch What You Eat With Carolyn O’Neil

As CNN’s original health and nutrition contributor, Carolyn O’Neil has spent decades covering how technology and innovative changemakers are reshaping nutrition. On Watch What You Eat, she’ll explore the worlds of food, nutrition, and cuisine, tracking new trends and helping listeners embark on new culinary adventures.

My Food Job Rocks

We’re not just creating new shows—we’re also bringing on seasoned hosts with podcasts we’ve long admired. Adam Yee, one of the original food-industry and food-innovation podcasters, launched My Food Job Rocks nearly a decade ago. We’ve been fans of Adam’s insightful and fun conversations with industry leaders, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the network as he re-launches his iconic show.

Maybe Food, Maybe Tech

In addition to relaunching My Food Job Rocks, Adam Yee is launching a brand-new show with co-host Kai-Hsin Wang. On Maybe Food, Maybe Tech, they’ll break down current events, explore innovative companies at the intersection of food and technology, and share personal insights on life and industry trends.

The Tomorrow Today Show

Mike Lee, author of MISE and a longtime food futurist, has a talent for deciphering early signals and identifying what’s around the corner. On The Tomorrow Today Show, he’ll tackle big questions about sustainability, technology, pleasure, and connection—viewed through the lens of food.

Women Innovators in Food and Farming

Award-winning journalist Amy Wu hosts Women Innovators in Food and Farming, where she interviews women entrepreneurs driving change in agri-food tech. From advancements in seed breeding and soil innovation to cutting-edge robotics and automation, Amy explores the stories and insights shaping the future of food and farming.

Everything But The Carbon Sink

Hosted by Eva Goulbourne—an experienced strategist in food systems transformation and climate philanthropy—Everything But the Carbon Sink examines how agriculture, food waste, and land use impact the climate crisis. Each episode highlights forward-thinking solutions, financing strategies, and the key players driving change at the intersection of food and climate.

Soul to Table

Join Chef Ryan Lacy on the Soul to Table podcast. he goes on a journey to explore our food systems from seed to table through the eyes of our guests, chefs, ranchers, food scientists, farmers & many more.

Spoon Full of AI

In this show, The Spoon’s own Carlos Rodela dives into the cutting-edge world of artificial intelligence. We go face-to-face with industry innovators who share firsthand how AI is transforming their industry and how they are meeting the challenge by utilizing AI in their business. In each episode, we’ll also explore the latest AI tools powering big change, complete with suggestions for leveraging them in your business.

The Reimagining Restaurants Podcast

In this podcast, I talk to entrepreneurs, chefs, and industry leaders who are redefining what it means to run a modern restaurant—leveraging robotics, AI, automation, and sustainable practices to enhance customer service, optimize operations, and drive profitability.

And, of course, we’ll continue to feature The Spoon Podcast, our flagship show covering innovators across the food system. Over the next couple of months, we’ll spotlight conversations on The Spoon Podcast with all of our new hosts so you can get to know them better and hear from them about why their podcasts are must-listens.

You can check out all of our shows on The Spoon Podcast Network page, where you’ll also find links to the podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and their RSS feeds. Please subscribe!

And if you’d like to support our podcasts and independent media through sponsorship, drop us a line—we’d love to have that conversation.

Finally, a big shoutout to our hosts who believed in this vision, and to The Spoon team, including Carlos Rodela (our producer) and Tiffany McClurg, our head of operations (and new warm-read specialist!).

We can’t wait to bring these conversations to you. Stay tuned!

Is LG’s Majority Stake in Bear Robotics a Sign That Food Robotics Is About to Have Its Moment?

Late last week, LG Electronics announced it had acquired a majority stake in Bear Robotics, increasing its ownership of the San Francisco-based startup from 21% to 51%. According to South Korean newspaper The Dong-A Ilbo, LG initially acquired its 21% stake in early 2024 for $60 million. The company values its latest stake at $180 million, giving Bear Robotics an overall valuation of $600 million.

While a 60%-of-a-billion-dollar valuation might not compare to the staggering figures often associated with AI startups—though recent events, such as China’s DeepThink’s troubles, may prompt reevaluations—it’s a really good valuation for a food tech company, especially in the challenging food robotics sector.

Where Are All The Unicorns?

Anyone who’s been following The Spoon (we were the first publication to write about Bear Robotics in early 2018) knows food robotics startups have had a tough go of it the last few years. High-profile flameouts like Zume have dominated headlines, while quieter exits, such as Mezli and Vebu, have underscored how challenging this is.

Vebu, formerly Wavemaker Labs, played a pivotal role in launching Miso Robotics, creator of the Flippy burger bot, along with other food robotics concepts like Piestro and Bobacino. However, by the time Serve Robotics acquired Vebu Labs last fall, its only notable product in the portfolio was the Autocado, an avocado-coring robot adopted by Chipotle.

Bear Robotics, however, has achieved steady traction in the restaurant and food service industry. This success, combined with LG’s strategic plans to develop a service robot platform for commercial and home applications, has driven its higher valuation. As The Dong-A Ilbo reported, LG plans to create an integrated solution platform that “encompasses commercial, industrial, and home robots” using Bear Robotics’ software to manage various robot products through a unified system.

Service Robots Over Food-Making Robots

What Bear doesn’t provide LG with is an actual food-making robot; instead, it offers a fairly open platform for service robotics in restaurants and other hospitality spaces. At this point, it’s still unclear whether there will be the same level of interest in food-making robots. Some players, like Picnic and Miso, continue to make progress, but they face significant competition for what is undoubtedly a limited number of big quick-service and fast-casual chains that have yet to acquire their own solutions.

Could Serve and Starship be next?

As major tech companies and consumer brands increasingly view robotics as critical to their future strategies—in what Nvidia’s CEO has called “physical AI”—it’s likely that we’ll see more acquisitions in the service and delivery robotics space. Companies with limited proprietary IP (and my sense is LG didn’t have much here) may be particularly desperate to snap up firms similar to Bear that have been around enough to create a foundation of discernable IP and a varied set of products and build a customer base.

Potential acquisition candidates include Serve Robotics, known for its sidewalk delivery robots, and Starship Technologies, a leader in autonomous delivery systems. Both companies have gained traction but operate in an environment where consolidation is becoming inevitable.

With American’s Growing Focus on Microbiome Health, Will Fiber Gain Starring Role Next to Protein in Diets?

At CES last week, The Spoon hosted a panel of experts to discuss the role of personalized nutrition in addressing critical global health challenges, including obesity, diabetes, and chronic diseases.

Moderated by nutrition expert Carolyn O’Neil, the panel featured Noosheen Hashemi of January AI, Ranjan Sinha of Digbi Health, and Matt Barnard of OneBio. Together, they delved into how innovations in artificial intelligence, microbiome science, and biotechnology are transforming how we eat and improve our health.

O’Neil began the session by highlighting the significant impact of diet-related illnesses on public health and the increasing reliance on pharmaceutical interventions, such as GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic. While these medications offer effective solutions for managing conditions like obesity and diabetes, the panelists stressed the importance of addressing root causes, including poor dietary habits, fiber deficiencies, and the lack of personalized guidance.

Ranjan Sinha, founder of Digbi Health, emphasized the critical role that genetics and the gut microbiome play in metabolic health.

“Food has been the cause of many illnesses, but it can also be the cure,” Sinha explained. Digbi Health leverages advanced technology to analyze genetic data, gut microbiome profiles, and telemetry from wearable devices to create customized wellness plans.

Sinha also underscored the untapped potential of microbiome research, describing it as the “next pharmaceutical frontier.” He likened its trajectory to the evolution of electronics, predicting that microbiome-based treatments will dominate healthcare in the coming decades.

“Think about where electronics were in the 1990s, and then the leap to smartphones in the 2000s,” he said. “That’s where microbiome science is headed. In the next 15 to 20 years, your gut could effectively function as a pharmaceutical factory, producing compounds to prevent and treat illness.”

Both Sinha and Matt Barnard highlighted the essential role of fiber in health, directly linking it to the microbiome’s function. By nourishing the microbiome with the fibers it requires, they argued, we could unlock its potential to prevent and even reverse chronic diseases.

Barnard compared the importance of fiber to the early discoveries of vitamins and minerals, signaling a paradigm shift in how fiber is viewed in relation to health.

“One hundred years ago, we didn’t know the importance of vitamins and minerals,” Barnard noted. “Now, deficiencies are rare. The same transformation is happening with fiber. As we learn more, it will revolutionize our approach to chronic disease and metabolic health.”

Noosheen Hashemi, CEO of January AI, agreed with Barnard and Sinha on fiber’s vital role in supporting the human microbiome.

“One of the biggest drivers of inflammation in our collective microbiome is the lack of fiber,” she explained. “Our ancestors, just 12,000 years ago, consumed 100 to 150 grams of fiber daily. Today, our intake is drastically lower. Add to that antibiotics and other factors, and we’re collectively in a state of dysbiosis. It’s essential to ensure people get enough fiber.”

Hashemi also shared insights into January AI’s innovative technology, which predicts a food’s impact on blood sugar using a simple photo of the meal. By analyzing millions of data points, the AI can forecast blood sugar responses to meals, even without requiring wearables like glucose monitors.

The panelists collectively predicted a future where pharmaceutical interventions are complemented by greater reliance on dietary strategies. These strategies will increasingly be informed by technologies capable of analyzing a person’s biomarkers in near real time.

This panel left me wondering if we might see a more significant emphasis on fiber by Americans who, by nearly all accounts, have become overly obsessed with maxing out their protein as a way to feel full and hopefully lose weight. With all the emphasis on gut health and the clear connection to fiber, I think there’s certainly a chance some of it break through for everyday consumers looking for ways to stay health and maintain a healthy weight and microbiome.

That said, it’s likely Americans’ fixation won’t end soon. As Mike Lee said on a (separate) panel recently, “Protein is the Tom Cruise of the American diet.”

In other words, protein’s starring role won’t end anytime soon, but maybe there’s a chance fiber may someday get equal billing.

You can watch the full CES panel on personalized nutrition below

The Future of Personalized Nutrition in the Era of Ozempic