Nala Robotics Appoints Massimo Noja De Marco as Chairman to its Strategic Advisory Board
Arlington Heights, Ill., November 28, 2023 – Nala Robotics, an AI technology company revolutionizing the culinary industry, today announced the appointment of Massimo Noja De Marco as chairman to its strategic advisory board.
The restaurant concept innovator has established business ties with emerging and major brands, such as Chick-Fil-A, White Castle, Pokeworks, Wetzel’s Pretzels and Halal Guys. He also has helped raise tens of millions of dollars in venture capital for his own businesses and others, attracting financial backers including GV, formerly known as Google Ventures.
“Nala Robotics welcomes Massimo as chairman to our strategic advisory board,” said founder and CEO Ajay Sunkara. “His wealth of knowledge, expertise in automation, robotics and AI, as well as his global connections and business acumen, will prove immeasurable to lead our advisory board as we execute on the next phase of our growth strategy.”
In February, De Marco was appointed CEO of Ghost Kitchen Brands America, which prepares and distributes food items from well-known restaurant brands, such as Cinnabon, MrBeast Burger, Nathan’s Hot Dogs, Salad Works and The Cheesecake Factory, among others. He also established Kitchen United in 2017, driving design innovation and some of the first concepts for virtual restaurants.
“I am thrilled to join Nala Robotics and look forward to working with management to take the company to the next level,” said De Marco. “I have been impressed by Nala Robotics’ technology, innovations and adoption in restaurant kitchens across the country and plan to leverage my industry experience to keep the momentum going.”
Prior to launching Kitchen United, De Marco owned and operated PH+E, a boutique consulting firm specializing in opening restaurants, hotels and bars across the U.S., Mexico and Europe. He also owned and operated restaurants in New York City and Los Angeles and served as vice president of operations at Wolfgang Puck Catering and Events, overseeing major events and awards shows such as the Academy Awards. Massimo was named among the top ten of Nation’s Restaurant News’ 2020 “Power List” of business leaders bringing game changing solutions and unrivaled creativity to the restaurant industry. He also was voted in Nation’s Restaurant News’ “Readers Pick” as one of 2021’s “Most Influential Restaurant CEOs in America.” De Marco previously served on the board of directors of Miso Robotics, and as an advisor at OrderMark, ROBOjuice, Babylon Micro Farms and Nurish.
About Nala Robotics
Nala Robotics is an AI technology company disrupting the culinary industry with the introduction of The Wingman, Pizzaiola and Nala Chef. Its fully automated, customizable robots use machine learning to cook infinite recipes replicated with exact precision anytime, anywhere. The company’s autonomous robotic solutions are ideal for multiple cuisines including American, Chinese, Indian and Thai. Based in Arlington Heights, Ill., Nala Robotics has offices in California, India and Ukraine. For more information, visit https://nalarobotics.com/ or follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter @nalarobotics.
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