Chowbotics, a robotics startup that specializes in automated food preparation, announced today that it has raised $5 million in Series A funding from Techstars Ventures, Foundry Group, Galvanize Ventures and the Geekdom Fund.

The company, which is changing its name from Casabots, was founded in 2014 by inventor Deepak Sekar. It wants to make robots that can quickly prepare ready-to-eat meals with the same convenience as a vending machine.

The company’s first product, Sally, allows customers to order salads through a touch screen interface. Users can either pick from a pre-existing recipe, such as a Caesar salad or a Greek salad, or they can make their own custom recipe by selecting individual ingredients. The robot then assembles the meal and dispenses it in a bowl.

There are a few benefits to this sort of automated food preparation, including better health safety, since there are fewer risks of contamination from food handlers. Automation can also help to deliver a more consistent meal experience anywhere in the world without having to train food prep employees.

That would certainly be valuable for large franchise food chains, which want consumers to know exactly what to expect before they even set foot inside a restaurant. Chowbotics said that robots like Sally can also fit in well at cafeterias and at hotels, where they could offer meals to guests 24 hours a day.

Chowbotics went through the Techstars Austin accelerator program in February 2016, and Techstars was one of the investors in the company’s $1.3 million seed round. As part of the new funding deal, Techstars founder and co-CEO David Cohen will join Chowbotics’ board of directors.

“The use of robotics in food service is an exciting new area,” said Jason Mendelson of The Foundry Group. “We believe Chowbotics is the number one company in this emerging space and are thrilled to invest in its growth.”

Chowbotics has only one robot on the market at the moment, but the company noted that the technology behind Sally can be applied to several other cuisines, including Mexican and Indian food. Chowbotics did not give a timeline for how soon it might branch out into other foods, but the company’s new funding will likely help speed up the process.

Photo: Chowbotics via Twitter