Dave Zito, who was Co-Founder and CEO of Miso Robotics, is no longer with the company, The Spoon has learned. This is the second high-profile C-level loss for Miso, following COO Melissa Hampton Burghardt’s departure from the company in September.
Miso Robotics is the startup behind Flippy, the burger flipping, fry cooking robot. Flippy is probably best known for being implemented at CaliBurger in Pasadena, CA (both Miso Robotics and Flippy are companies in the Cali Group holding company). Flippy was also employed by Dodger Stadium to fry chicken tenders and tater tots, and Walmart was experimenting with the robot as well.
At this point, we aren’t sure what spurred Zito’s departure. Zito confirmed with us that he is no longer with Miso and provided the following statement that has been slightly edited for length and clarity:
Yes I can confirm I’ve moved on from Miso. As a co-founder and one of the largest shareholders I am still rooting for the team and the vision we set forth. I’m so proud of all we accomplished together.
I’m a firm believer that breakthroughs in Machine Learning, Computer Vision, and Real-time Controls for Automation present the next great wave in disruptive technologies that I believe will radically aid humanity in addressing the most pressing problems of our age. I remain resolutely focused in aiding and supporting this burgeoning ecosystem that is leveraging these technologies to produce teams and products built to make a truly positive and lasting impact.
A spokesperson for Miso also confirmed the news saying the two parties split “amicably” and that Buck Jordan, Founding Partner of Miso will be interim CEO, and helping with the search for a full-time replacement.
The news of Zito’s departure comes a week after CaliBurger announced its 2.0 initiative, which involved adding a second Flippy robot station. Miso Robotics has raised $13.1 million in funding.
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