Cala
Cala is a Paris-based technology company operating a fully autonomous robotic pasta restaurant chain in Europe and an AI-powered smart heat pump water heater targeting American homeowners through retail channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Cala does
Cala is a Paris-based private technology company operating two distinct product platforms. Its original business is a fully autonomous robotic pasta restaurant system that automates end-to-end food preparation, cooking, and assembly at a demonstrated throughput of 400 dishes per hour; the company operates company-owned restaurant locations in France and plans to expand into additional European markets. By 2026, Cala launched a second product line — an AI-powered smart heat pump water heater targeting American homeowners, operating at 200-500% efficiency versus traditional units at 60-93% efficiency, with solar panel synchronization and predictive demand analytics.
The company's underlying technology combines robotics and automation for food service with applied AI and high-efficiency heat pump engineering for residential energy. The pasta system relies on proprietary automation architecture, while the water heater applies predictive analytics to household usage patterns and integrates with residential solar generation. Cala earns revenue through direct consumer meal sales at its restaurant locations (transaction-fee model) and through hardware sales of the water heater via US retail and home improvement distribution channels. Pricing is not publicly disclosed for either product line.
Cala is venture-backed, having raised approximately USD 7.5 million in cumulative funding across a September 2019 private investor round and an October 2021 EUR 5.5 million seed round led by BACKED VC, with participation from Acequia Capital, Kima Ventures, Manta Ray Ventures, Possible Ventures, and Quiet Ventures. The company has 11-50 employees, is led by founder and CEO Ylan Richard alongside operations manager Adrian Denais, and presents at industry events such as the 2026 AHR Expo in Las Vegas.
Cala firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cala
- Website
- https://eatcala.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cala is a Paris-based technology company operating a fully autonomous robotic pasta restaurant chain in Europe and an AI-powered smart heat pump water heater targeting American homeowners through retail channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cala industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Restaurant Food Service Automation
- NAICS
- Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341), Automatic Environmental Control Manufacturing for Residential, Commercial, and Appliance Use (334512)
- SIC
- Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Meal Prep & Subscription Virtual Kitchens (THAFAJAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Heat Pump & Smart HVAC Controller Integration (HSAOANAD)
Keywords
Where Cala is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cala business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Pasta Restaurant Operations: Revenue generated from operating fully autonomous pasta restaurant locations selling meals directly to consumers. The company prepares and serves pasta dishes through its robotic kitchen system.
- Smart Water Heater Sales: Revenue from selling AI-powered heat pump water heaters to homeowners, targeting the American residential market for energy-efficient home appliances.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels1 record
Cala product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cala operates a fully autonomous robotic pasta restaurant concept capable of producing 400 dishes per hour with consistent quality, having prepared 25,000 meals since opening. The company also sells an AI-powered smart heat pump water heater for residential use that syncs with solar panels, predicts hot water demand, and operates at 200-500% efficiency versus 60-93% for traditional water heaters.
Product overview
Cala operates two distinct product lines: (1) a fully robotic pasta restaurant system that automates food preparation, capable of producing 400 dishes per hour, and (2) an AI-powered smart heat pump water heater for residential use that integrates with solar panels and uses predictive analytics to optimize energy efficiency and reduce homeowner costs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Fully Robotic Pasta Restaurant A fully autonomous pasta restaurant operated by Cala that uses robotics to automate pasta preparation, cooking, and dish assembly at a throughput of 400 dishes per hour, serving individual dining consumers in France and Europe seeking consistent, quick-service pasta meals.
- Cala Smart Heat Pump Water Heater An AI-powered residential heat pump water heater that integrates with solar panel systems and uses predictive analytics to forecast hot water demand, targeting American homeowners seeking energy-efficient smart home appliances with $179-$767 potential annual energy savings and $10 per month operational energy cost.
Quantifiable outcome
- 400 dishes per hour production capacity
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Cala
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Cala technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature3 records
Cala partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cala competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Karakuri: UK-based robotics company building automated meal-assembly systems for food service. Closest European geographic peer to Cala's restaurant business with similar end-to-end automation approach.
- Creator: San Francisco-based creator of a fully robotic burger restaurant. Closest direct peer to Cala's autonomous pasta restaurant in category, use of end-to-end automation, and small-format dine-in model.
- Spyce: Pioneered the robotic fast-casual kitchen concept (acquired by Sweetgreen). Direct precedent for the autonomous restaurant category Cala operates in, with comparable technology thesis and target consumer.
- Zume Pizza: Pioneered robotics in pizza production, demonstrating both the upside and the execution pitfalls of food robotics at scale. Comparable as a cautionary and category-defining peer in automated meal preparation.
- Miso Robotics: Developer of the Flippy robotic kitchen arm deployed in real restaurant kitchens. Comparable in restaurant-automation focus, hardware-as-product model, and customer pain points (labor, throughput) Cala targets.
Broad incumbents
- Sweetgreen: US fast-casual chain that has integrated automation (including via its Spyce acquisition). Comparable as a scaled, brand-forward restaurant operator experimenting with robotics in a similar consumer segment.
- A. O. Smith: Largest US water heater manufacturer with full residential product line, established distribution, and warranty infrastructure. The dominant incumbent Cala's smart heat pump must displace in the US market.
- Rheem: Major US residential water heater and HVAC manufacturer with deep retail relationships (Home Depot, Lowe's) and broad heat-pump product range. Direct incumbent competitor in the same US residential water-heating category.
Emerging players
- Navien: US-focused manufacturer of high-efficiency condensing and tankless water heaters. Comparable as a technology-forward challenger in the residential water-heating market that Cala is targeting.
- Bear Robotics: US-based developer of service robots for restaurant operations. Comparable in the restaurant-automation category with similar target customers and pain points around labor and throughput.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Cala social profiles
Digital presenceCala financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cala leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Cala funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cala M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cala
What does Cala do?
Cala operates a fully autonomous robotic pasta restaurant concept capable of producing 400 dishes per hour with consistent quality, having prepared 25,000 meals since opening. The company also sells an AI-powered smart heat pump water heater for residential use that syncs with solar panels, predicts hot water demand, and operates at 200-500% efficiency versus 60-93% for traditional water heaters.
Is Cala a public or private company?
Cala is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Cala founded?
Cala was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cala based?
Cala is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Cala make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Pasta Restaurant Operations are the primary driver. The others are smart Water Heater Sales.
Who are Cala's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Karakuri, Creator, Spyce, Zume Pizza and Miso Robotics. Broad incumbents are Sweetgreen, A. O. Smith and Rheem. Emerging players are Navien and Bear Robotics.
Does Cala have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cala.
What industry is Cala in?
Cala's product category is Restaurant Food Service Automation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAJAI, Meal Prep & Subscription Virtual Kitchens, with a secondary code of HSAOANAD, Heat Pump & Smart HVAC Controller Integration. Its NAICS code is 33341 and its SIC code is 3585.