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- From pizza to multi-cuisine: Appetronix just acquired the tech to do it.
From pizza to multi-cuisine: Appetronix just acquired the tech to do it.
The CEO is on stage tonight. Here's what it means for Canadian tech.
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Appetronix is having a milestone day - and Nipun Sharma is on stage in Montreal tonight.
We've also got Rob Pintwala, who quietly built Canada's biggest therapy marketplace by filming therapists in their own offices. And Toronto Tech Week early bird ends Wednesday. 👇
🤖 Appetronix just went multi-cuisine.
Nipun Sharma announced this morning that Appetronix - his London, Ontario food robotics company - has acquired Cibotica, the Vancouver team behind Remy, one of the most precise dispensing platforms in food automation.
Here's where Appetronix is already operating:
What Cibotica brings: Remy assembles up to 300 bowls per hour, cuts labor costs by up to 30%, and reduces food waste by 50%. With it, Appetronix is moving beyond pizza into multi-cuisine - bowls, salads, and the kinds of formats that need precision portioning at scale.
"This acquisition represents far more than just expanding our technology stack. It's about elevating the entire food robotics ecosystem."
That's the part to underline. Successful exits in food robotics are rare. Nipun and the Cibotica team - co-founders Ashkan Mirnabavi and Soroush Sefidkar -just made one happen. The kind that signals to the next innovative founder that a real outcome is possible.
More of this, please. 🙌
🎟️ Nipun is on stage in Montreal TONIGHT. Tickets are COMPLIMENTARY.
Same day the news goes public, Nipun is sitting down with his first institutional investor Alex Norman at Together Montreal. He'll talk through the Appetronix journey, what Cibotica unlocks next, and where multi-cuisine robotics goes from here.
Free to attend. Doors at 6. Conversation at 7. After this morning's announcement, this room is going to fill up fast.
If you're anywhere near Montreal, this is the conversation to be in
🧠 He filmed 100 therapists. Now there are 30,000 appointments.
Mental health crises were part of Rob Pintwala's family backdrop growing up. In his 20s, he went through anxiety and depression himself.
He found the right therapist. Most people don't.
In 2018, someone close to him reached out for help during one of the hardest moments of their life. They got a sales pitch instead. That was enough.
"Making the decision to find help is hard - it takes courage. The process of actually finding that help shouldn't be even harder."
So he bought a camera. Emailed 100 therapists. Filmed every one. Now you could see who you were booking before you booked.
By the numbers: 30,000 appointments booked · ~200 therapists across Canada · live since 2019.
In 2023, he pivoted to a full marketplace model. It cost him two-thirds of his therapists overnight. He rebuilt anyway.
Then came the move that surprised us most. Six years in, he finally added his first co-founder - someone he'd worked alongside at Bench in Vancouver back in 2013. A decade of trust before they built together.
Most founders rush their co-founder. Rob waited a decade.
What's next: AI tools that help independent therapists handle scheduling, notes, and billing, so they spend more time with patients and less on admin.
Mental health access in Canada is still broken. Rob has been quietly fixing it since 2019. We're rooting loudly.
Toronto Tech Week is coming - and early bird ends in 2 days.
Two events. One bundle. CA$84.75. Price goes up May 1. Here's what you're getting:
TiEQuest Summit · May 25 · U of T Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus
A morning of big ideas and honest conversations about building in Canada for the world. Founders, operators, investors - all under one roof at one of the best innovation venues in the city.
TechTO Summer Social · May 27 · Bobby Bermuda's Sunset Bar, Queens Quay
600 people. Tacos. Drinks. Sunshine on Toronto's waterfront. Our annual outdoor social sells out every year. Every ticket includes food and one drink.
Two events, one price, and the early bird window is almost gone.
NEXT WEEK:
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🗓️ Vancouver Rocketships & Web Summit Social : Monday, May 11 @ 4:00pm PT - REQUEST TO JOIN
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🗓️ People First, Product Second: A Consumer Deep Dive with Maveron: Wednesday, May 27 @ 1:00pm - REQUEST TO JOIN
🗓️ Beyond the Bubble: An Intimate Chat with Will Hsu and Alex Norman: Wednesday, May 27 @ 4:00pm - REQUEST TO JOIN
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