Tampa startup to start rolling out cordless kitchen tech

Every inch counts inside RVs and tiny homes, and a Tampa entrepreneur wants to help maximize the best use of the kitchens in those confined spaces with cordless, compactable tech. 

Akshay Bhuva is the co-founder and CEO of Kitchenery, a startup that develops inductive power transfer technology that allows kitchen appliances to be charged on an electrical pad, creating a way for appliances to function without a cord.  

“Innovation in the kitchen is very slow, and it’s the space with the most foot traffic in a home. We want to bridge the gap between innovation and cooking,” Bhuva said. “Kitchens usually have clutter, a lack of close power outlets, and safety issues such as electrical fires. Traditional cooking with gas and electricity is inefficient compared to induction cooking.”  

Kitchenery’s induction pad and technology that powers its cordless appliances. Image provided.

He explained induction cooking, where someone can control the precise temperature, is 40% more efficient than gas and electric cooking. Kitchenery’s induction pad would be installed into a kitchen counter or island. 

Kitchenery is currently working out of the University of Tampa’s Lowth Entrepreneurship Center. The startup was also part of Techstars’ accelerator program sponsored by Stanley Black & Decker. 

“Before we launched and got into UT, I was a mechanical engineer and when I started working from home, I was using my kitchen space more and experienced how kitchens needed this solution,” he said. Kitchenery was accepted into the UT center in 2021. 

Bhuva said his 12-member team is in the process of closing a $2 million pre-seed round. The startup has partnered with crowdfunding platform Wefunder and is readying to raise its next round in the coming weeks, with a goal of raising $1.2 million from angel investors. 

Kitchenery also plans to have a pilot project for the next six to eight months, and manufacture its cordless and stackable appliances by the first quarter of 2023.

Kitchenery’s stackable and cordless appliances. Image provided.

By the end of the first quarter next year, Bhuva said the startup is going to start manufacturing 200 units.

“We will pilot test these directly with RV companies, tiny home builders, OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] and we also have hotel chains, extended stay rentals in our pipeline,” Bhuva said.  

In roughly four months, he said, Kitchenery will start taking pre-orders from its online store. 

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