Zume Pizza was a robotics-driven food-tech startup that built automated kitchens and mobile pizza-baking operations. Its platform used AI, machine learning, and robotic arms to prepare pizza, optimize delivery routes, and reduce food waste. Zume later expanded into broader food logistics and sustainable packaging before ultimately closing operations.
What Is Zume Pizza and What Does It Do?
Zume Pizza, founded in 2015 by Julia Collins and Alex Garden, was headquartered in Mountain View, United States. The company operated as a robotics-powered foodservice chain, delivering freshly baked pizzas through AI-enabled automation and mobile oven technology.
Its operations relied on robotic pizza assembly, predictive ordering software, and real-time delivery optimization to improve consistency and speed.
Zume Pizza employed 665 employees at its peak, focusing heavily on automation, packaging innovation, and next-generation food logistics before shutting down.
How Much Funding Has Zume Pizza Raised?
1. Series C
- Amount Raised: $375M
- Date: November 2018
- Lead Investors: SoftBank Vision Fund
- Motivation: To expand robotics-powered kitchen technology, scale nationwide delivery operations, and build next-generation food logistics infrastructure.
2. Series B
- Amount Raised: $48M
- Date: October 2017
- Motivation: To enhance robotic automation, expand delivery fleets, and scale manufacturing capabilities.
3. Series A
- Amount Raised: $23M
- Date: December 2016
- Lead Investors: AME Cloud Ventures, Maveron, SignalFire, Kortschak Investments
- Motivation: To develop proprietary robotic systems and launch full-scale commercial operations.
Total Funding Raised: $452 Million
Latest Funding Date: November 2018
Key Investors
1. SoftBank Vision Fund
- Details: Global technology investment fund known for backing large-scale, high-growth companies.
- Investment Focus Areas: Food-tech, robotics, logistics, mobility, AI.
- Notable Investments: DoorDash, OYO, Grab, WeWork.
2. AME Cloud Ventures
- Details: Early-stage venture fund founded by Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang, investing in deep tech and data-heavy companies.
- Investment Focus Areas: AI, robotics, IoT, cloud infrastructure.
- Notable Investments: Zoom, Box, Evernote.
3. Maveron
- Details: Consumer-focused venture fund investing in category-defining consumer brands.
- Investment Focus Areas: Consumer tech, food delivery, marketplaces.
- Notable Investments: eBay, Allbirds, Imperfect Foods.
4. SignalFire
- Details: Data-driven VC firm leveraging AI and analytics to support high-growth tech companies.
- Investment Focus Areas: AI, logistics, SaaS, consumer tech.
- Notable Investments: Grammarly, Lime, Ro.
Where Is Zume Pizza’s Headquarters?
Zume Pizza was headquartered in Mountain View, California, providing access to Silicon Valley’s robotics ecosystem, engineering talent, and early food-tech adopters while enabling rapid prototyping of automated kitchen solutions.
What’s Next for Zume Pizza?
Zume Pizza officially shut down after multiple pivots, with its final focus shifting toward sustainable packaging and automation solutions. Although the company no longer operates, its patents, robotics innovations, and automation systems are expected to influence future food logistics startups. Zume’s journey remains a case study in ambitious moonshot investing, robotics adoption, and the challenges of scaling hardware-heavy food tech.
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