Have you ever perused the selection in a vending machine and wished for… more? You might be glad to hear about Pizzametry, the vending machine which bakes up hot, fresh personal pizzas on demand. We were certainly intrigued, which is why we chose Pizzametry as one of the 13 finalists to pitch at the Smart Kitchen Summit Startup Showcase on October 8-9th.
Check out our Q&A with Jim Benjamin, President of Pizzametry maker APM Partners, to learn more about the piping hot world of pizza tech — and the inspiration behind their pizza vending machine. Then get your tickets to see him pitch live at SKS!
The Q&A has been edited for clarity.
The Spoon: First thing’s first: give us your 15-second elevator pitch.
Pizzametry: Pizzametry is a first of its kind, on demand 24/7 automated pizza-service for consumers.
– A top quality pizza prepared from fresh ingredients = GREAT TASTING PIZZA!!
– Prepared food in a vending machine format.
– Just bring power and location.
– Internet connected (wired, wireless or cellular) and monitored.
– Easy to stock (with ingredients 150 pizzas) and to maintain.
– Designed for health and safety.
What inspired you to create Pizzametry?
Many years ago, Pizzametry inventor Puzant Khatchadourian was inspired when he was hungry with a stranded stomach in Manhattan, NY in the wee hours of the morning; everywhere was closed for a hot meal! Puzant and a group of investors did extensive consumer research, including traditional focus group format highlighted the need to create an efficient delivery system for a hot, fresh pizza in minutes to a significantly underserved market.
Then, a group of highly talented industry engineers went to work to develop a machine to automatically MAKE a fresh pizza. With over $14 million invested in the design — and rigorous testing of the machine in the development cycle — the company went through many iterations of the machine to create one with process perfection!
What’s the most challenging part of getting a food tech startup off the ground?Finding the right market placements for Pizzametry product and service, as well as alignment with the food technology and food automation markets.
How will Pizzametry change the day-to-day life of its users?
Consumers will never again be left stranded with an empty stomach; they’ll be able to get a hot, fresh pizza meal anytime and anywhere!
What is next for Pizzametry?
Next up is investment and funding for Phase 2.0 go-to-market. We also plan to build and deploy 30 productions machines into the food tech marketplace.
Thanks, Jim! Get your tickets to SKS to hear him pitch alongside 12 emerging food tech companies at our Startup Showcase this October in Seattle.
Leave a Reply