Fresco, a platform that powers smart cooking experiences for appliance makers, said it has closed a €15 million Series C financing round to accelerate development of its AI-driven cooking tools and expand distribution through partnerships across the global appliance ecosystem.
The Dublin-based company said the round included new investment from Samuel Dennigan of Strong Roots, Barry Napier of Cubic3, and Tyler Hu of Arda, along with follow-on participation from existing investors Middleby, ACT Venture Capital, AE Ventures, Morpheus Ventures, and Alsop Louie Partners. Fresco said the funding will be used to advance its AI Cooking Companion, which it describes as a personalized, appliance-aware sous chef that recommends recipes, provides real-time guidance, and can control and synchronize compatible devices through screens and voice interfaces.
Fresco is building its platform around the idea that appliance brands need a scalable way to deliver personalized cooking experiences across a fragmented, multi-brand kitchen environment. The company pointed to projections that the global smart kitchen appliances market could reach about $60 billion by 2030, while arguing that many brands still lack the software layer required to deliver consistent, personalized cooking journeys at scale.
The financing follows what Fresco described as increasing adoption across the appliance supply chain, including new original equipment manufacturer partnerships with E.G.O. and Arda. Fresco said that integrating at the OEM layer can shorten onboarding timelines and extend distribution of its cross-brand platform, KitchenOS, and its AI Cooking Companion across appliances produced for hundreds of global brands.
Fresco said it already supports cooking experiences across appliances from brands including Panasonic, Instant Pot Brands, Viking, and Kenwood, and that the new capital will support its next phase of growth as it moves from enabling connected appliance experiences to delivering more intelligent, personalized cooking at scale through a broader ecosystem of partners.
KEY QUOTES:
“Almost every part of daily life has been transformed by technology except the kitchen, where the opportunity to help people is arguably the biggest,” said Ben Harris, CEO and co-founder of Fresco. “Fresco already connects all the pieces, positioning us to make AI genuinely useful in the kitchen, personalizing every cooking experience to make it effortless to cook a delicious, healthy meal. And as more partners join the ecosystem, the experience gets better and smarter for everyone.”
Ben Harris, CEO and Co-Founder of Fresco
“As someone who has spent years helping people make better everyday food choices, Fresco feels like the next step. Not just changing what we eat, but how we cook, using technology to make it easier, more personal and more sustainable,” said Samuel Dennigan, who scaled Strong Roots into one of Europe’s leading consumer food brands.
Samuel Dennigan, Strong Roots
“Fresco is delivering the scale and simplicity this industry has been waiting for-making intelligence in the kitchen invisible, effortless, and deeply personal. It’s the only ecosystem capable of harmonizing hardware, connectivity, and AI to truly transform how we cook,” said Barry Napier, CEO of Cubic3, who led the company through its global automotive connectivity expansion and acquisition.
Barry Napier, CEO of Cubic3
