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Rotender
Techstars '22Los Angeles, US · 5 employees on LinkedIn · 3 known investors
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Rotender builds automated beverage-dispensing machines that let customers select and pay for drinks from a digital menu and receive a poured drink in under 30 seconds. It serves bars, stadiums, and events, offering a subscription model with setup, maintenance, and on-site support, as well as custom-branded solutions for beverage companies.
Also known as Rotender
Investors · 3
How we know: Everybody Ventures's portfolio page · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Mech Ventures's portfolio page · Not right? Tell us
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
Company profile
researched Sep 2026Rotender is a Los Angeles company that builds automated bartending machines for high-volume venues. Its flagship unit resembles a jukebox and holds sixteen bottles of liquor on an internal carousel alongside an automated soda gun; customers choose a drink combination on a touchscreen, pay, and the machine dispenses liquor and mixer simultaneously, completing a mixed drink in under 20 seconds. The interior spins and lights up during mixing, a design choice the company attributes to customer demand for a visible mixing experience. A single machine can produce a few hundred drinks in a night before it needs restocking.
The company has expanded beyond mixed drinks with the 'Beertender,' a high-tech keg machine that dispenses craft beer and other alcoholic beverages, comparable in form to a soda fountain dispenser. Rotender machines have been installed at stadiums, concert halls, casinos, cruise ships and other venues nationally, including the Greek Theater in Griffith Park, the Toyota Arena in Ontario, the Reserve nightclub and Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, and Two Bit Circus in Santa Monica.
Rotender positions its technology for speed and consistency rather than craft cocktails; company leadership has stated the product is not intended to replicate a mixologist or replace the art of bartending, but to serve patrons who would otherwise wait in long lines at events.
Founding story
Ben Winston conceived Rotender after repeatedly waiting close to 30 minutes in line at concerts and sporting events for a simple beer or mixed drink, while serving as co-founder and CTO of the food delivery startup Jolt Delivery and facing well-funded competitors. He co-founded Rotender in 2020, and the name combines 'robot' and 'bartender.'
Business model
Rotender places its automated dispensing machines in high-traffic hospitality and entertainment venues, where patrons order and pay at the machine's touchscreen and receive a poured drink. The company has also worked with spirits brands, including partnership deals with Jim Beam and Diageo, and has served branded product such as JAJA Tequila at private events.
Traction
Rotender machines have been deployed at venues including the Greek Theater, Toyota Arena, the Reserve nightclub, the Omni Hotel and Two Bit Circus, as well as a 15,000-seat Michigan arena and a cruise line where, per the founder, passengers averaged about eight drinks per day over the first four days of a voyage before tapering to two or three.
Latest developments
As of May 2025, Rotender was featured as a downtown Los Angeles company deploying automated beverage machines at stadiums, concert halls, casinos, cruises and other venues, with its newest product, the 'Beertender' keg dispenser, installed at Two Bit Circus in Santa Monica. The company had also entered partnerships with Jim Beam and Diageo.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Rotender is described as a venture capital-backed drinks machine startup and one of several Los Angeles-area companies working on food and beverage automation, a sector where hospitality operators face thin margins, higher minimum wages and labor constraints. Coverage places it alongside other regional robotics firms such as Pasadena-based Miso Robotics, though Miso targets quick-service kitchen tasks rather than beverages.
Unlike robotic-arm drink systems seen in San Francisco and Las Vegas that mimic a bartender's motions, Rotender uses a carousel of sixteen liquor bottles plus an automated soda gun housed in a jukebox-like cabinet, emphasizing speed, consistent pour proportions and a visible mixing display rather than garnished or craft cocktails.
Technology
The machine is a jukebox-style cabinet containing a rotating carousel of sixteen liquor bottles and an automated soda gun. A touchscreen handles drink selection and payment, after which liquor and mixer are dispensed simultaneously to produce a proportioned mixed drink in under 20 seconds. Development required four years and a team of hardware and software engineers. A separate keg-based unit, the 'Beertender,' dispenses beer and other alcoholic beverages.
Go-to-market
High-volume venues with long drink lines, including stadiums, arenas, concert halls, casinos, nightclubs, hotels, cruise ships and entertainment centers, plus beverage brands seeking branded placements.
Geography
Rotender is based in downtown Los Angeles and operates machines at venues around the United States, including the Greek Theater in Griffith Park, the Toyota Arena in Ontario, the Reserve nightclub and Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, Two Bit Circus in Santa Monica, a 15,000-seat arena in Michigan, and a cruise line.
History
Ben Winston co-founded Rotender in 2020 after a career building venture-backed companies, including the Santa Monica food delivery startup Jolt Delivery, where he was co-founder and chief technology officer. According to Winston, Jolt handled roughly 10% of food deliveries in Los Angeles before Uber Eats and Postmates entered the market. The drink machine took four years and multiple hardware and software engineers to develop. By May 2023 the product was being demonstrated publicly and counted a 15,000-seat Michigan arena among its first customers; by May 2025 the company had deployed at venues across the country and introduced a keg-based 'Beertender' unit.
Compiled by commissioned research from 4 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Competitors · 1
by search overlapCompanies competing with Rotender for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsRotender signed partnership deals with spirits brands Jim Beam and Diageo, and served JAJA Tequila at an event for the music duo The Chainsmokers.
Rotender's newest product, a high-tech keg machine called the 'Beertender' that dispenses craft beer and other alcoholic beverages, was deployed at Two Bit Circus in Santa Monica.
Among Rotender's first customers was a 15,000-seat arena in Michigan.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 4
primary sources listed
- Robotic Bartenders? - Los Angeles Business Journallabusinessjournal.com · web
4 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Rotender do?
- Los Angeles company making automated bartending machines that pour mixed drinks and beer for stadiums, casinos, cruises and nightlife venues.
- Who are Rotender's investors?
- Rotender's investors include Everybody Ventures, Mech Ventures, Techstars.
- Where is Rotender headquartered?
- Rotender is headquartered in Los Angeles, US.