Zume Pizza expands technologically and geographically challenging the conventional industry

Zume Pizza, an online pizza delivery startup in the US, focuses on robotics and advanced machinery to prepare its pizzas in a bid to outshine the conventional pizza industry players such as Dominos, Pizza Hut and Papa Jones. Over the last two years, founder Julia Collins has been steadily adding new machines to her pizza assembly line to maximize consistency without resorting to cheats that sacrifice the pizza itself. With the new machinery (“Doughbot”), Zume is ready to announce expansion to Palo Alto, where it will be putting its decentralized delivery model to the test with a fleet of oven trucks and delivery scooters.

Oftentimes when dough is put through a press, it’s augmented with unnatural oils and chemicals designed to keep the dough from shrinking back into a ball. The extra-powerful Doughbot can do its job using only natural oils. The Doughbot shaves 36 seconds off the pizza-creation process.

Zume hopes its decentralized pizza delivery model will allow it to react more quickly to shifting demand and take better advantage of demand projections. Susan Alban, the former GM leading UberEATS, is joining Zume to manage these complex logistical operations. The startup says it has six pizza baking trucks already on the road and it will be adding four more soon.