Connected Robotics Inc.

ABOUT

OUR MISSION

To innovate the food industry with robotics.

Food industry is an essential part of people's daily life, bringing people all kinds of joy ⁠— joy to eat, to gather, and to socialize. However, the industry has been facing challenges including labor shortage and higher demand for automation considering food safety and supply stemming from COVID-19 pandemic. Handling foods that come in different shapes in a speedy manner was something only humans were capable of doing, until now. We, Connected Robotics, are automating processes with robotics, leveraging our AI image processing and robot control technologies to bring back happiness to workers in the food industry, provide fun and healthy meals to consumers, and contribute to creating a better society.

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OUR VISION

  • To liberate workers from grueling work

    We strive to liberate workers from repetitive and physically demanding tasks in restaurants and food factories through automation.

  • To achieve high productivity and solving labor shortage

    We strive to increase productivity and promote manpower-saving for our customers through our products and services combining robot, image processing, and AI technologies.

  • To serve healthy and tasty food anywhere, anytime

    We strive to offer healthy and tasty food with consistent quality for everyone to enjoy through automation.

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COMPANY

Company Name
Connected Robotics Inc.
Business Focus
Research, development, and sales of robotics services designed for the food industry
Date Founded
February 10, 2014
Capital
100 million yen (As of January 1, 2022)
CEO/Founder
Tetsuya Sawanobori
Location
5-4-1 Kajinocho, Koganei-shi, Tokyo Japan
Postal Code: 184-0002

HISTORY

February 2014
Started as an AI/robot controller development business.
April 2017
Won the Startup Weekend Robotics competition. Started developing cooking robot systems designed for restaurants.
December 2017
Moved the head office to a building inside Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology.
January 2018
Raised 63 million yen for our seed round.
June 2019
Selected in "J-Startup", a program initiated by METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) that aims to accelerates growth of startups in Japan.
April 2019
Closed a 850 million yen series A round.
December 2019
Began participating in the Task Force for Promoting Establishment of Implementation Models of Robots launched by METI and NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization).
October 2020
Started developing robots for food factories.
December 2020
Entered a strategic and capital partnership with the JR East Group.
October 2022
Entered a strategic and capital partnership with the HOSHIZAKI CORPORATION.
February 2023
Closed α 1.7 billion yen series B round.
April 2023
Head office (Sales and Back office divisions) relocated in front of Higashi-Koganei Station.
February 2024
Selected for the MAFF "Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Innovation Promotion Project (Phase 3 Fund Project)."

ACCESS

Access to the head office is a 1-minute walk
from Higashi-Koganei station (JR Chuo Line) the North Exit.
Access to the laboratory is 7 minute walk from the south exit or nonowa exit.

Location (Headquarters): 5-4-1 Kajinocho, Koganei-shi, Tokyo Japan
Postal Code: 184-0002
Location (Laboratory): TUAT Building 13
Google Map
Location (Minamisoma Laboratory): Inside the Minamisoma Factory of Kikuchi Seisakusho Co., Ltd.
65-1 Minamihara, Odaka-ku, Hansaki, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
Postal Code: 979-2162
Google Map

MANAGEMENT

  • 沢登 哲也

    Founder/Chief Executive Officer

    Tetsuya Sawanobori

    Since April 2017, Tetsuya has been leading Connected Robotics bringing innovation to the food industry using robotics technologies. He obtained his BS in Engineering from Tokyo University and MS in Informatics from Kyotyo University, while he worked at a startup in the UK. Upon graduation, he started his career in the food industry opening and running restaurants. Later, he worked at a MIT-born startup as a robot controller development manager until 2011. After working as an independent robot controller engineer, he founded Connected Robotics in 2014 and pivoted the company's focus to food industry and robotics in 2017.

  • 佐藤 泰樹

    Chief Operating Officer

    Taiki Sato

    Taiki has been a crucial part of this journey from the very beginning in 2017 and driving Connected Robotics' business as a director and COO. He met Tetsuya in 2017 at "Shido" (acceleration project launched by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) and soon joined Connected Robotics. He initially worked as a store manager at Octochef, a robot takoyaki stand, and Henn na Cafe. Prior to this, he worked at Link and Motivation and an IT/HR startup as the head of the president's office.
    Taiki graduated from Sophia University with a BS in Physics.

  • 小笠原 智也

    Executive Officer,Chief Revenue Officer

    Tomoya Ogasawara

    Tomoya, with 10+ years of experience in sales, is steering Connected Robotics' sales operation as VP of Marketing & Sales. Prior to joining Connected Robotics, he worked at Keyence handling image processing systems such as the 3D Robot Vision and Exterior Inspection Systems where he covered all sales activities from customer development to after-sales support, and won multiple sales awards. Tomoya graduated from Tokyo Institute of Technology with a BS in Life Science and Technology

  • 塚本 光一

    Executive Officer,Vice President of Product

    Koichi Tsukamoto

    Koichi is a highly experienced software engineer who has been leading our software platform development since joining Connected Robotics in 2019. He began his career at Pioneer and worked at Renesas Electronics Corporation where he was engaged in the product planning and development of software platforms and technologies for automotive HMI, autonomous vehicles, and autonomous driving support.
    Koichi holds a BS and a MS in Information Science from Tokyo University of Science

  • 余 錦澤

    Vice President of SW & AI

    Jinze Yu

    Dr. Jinze Yu joined Connected Robotics as VP of AI, with rich experience in research in computer vision and machine learning and industrial robotics engineering. Before joining CR, Dr. Yu was the computer vision expert at the R&D department of MUJIN (Inc). His work has been widely deployed for actual logistics and factory-automation robotics systems.
    Dr. Yu obtained his Ph.D. degree in computer vision and computer graphics at the University of Tokyo. As R & D achievement, he has received more than twenty patents for his work in robotics computer vision.

  • 植木 健太朗

    Vice President of Production & Hardware

    Kentaro Ueki

    Ue is experienced production engineering and planning manufacturing process. After joining Connected Robotics in 2022,he is in charge of building basis for mass production.
    He graduated from Nagoya Institute of Technology,Department of Mechanical Engineering,completed production system engineering.
    After that he began his career at Honda Motor Co., Ltd., He ecperienced productivity improvement,energy saving,and line planning in factory manufacturing bumpers and instrument panels.

AWARDS

We have won numerous industry, academic, and government awards
and have received multiple government subsidies.
We believe that our latest technologies will keep winning more amazing awards.

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