HotSpot CookTop

HotSpot CookTop is a technology company operating in the household appliance sector, positioning itself as a developer of advanced cooking systems for integration into modern kitchens.

Founded in 2019 by CEO and Product Architect Cal Wilkes, an electrical engineer from the University of Calgary, the company emerged from his experience in prototyping and hardware development. Prior to HotSpot, Wilkes was involved in projects that included designing an insole with sensors for measuring blood glucose and engineering battery packs for e-bikes, reflecting a background in sensor technology and electromechanical systems. The company is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and has secured $160,000 in funding from the venture capital arms of Comcast and WeWork.

The core of HotSpot CookTop's business is its proprietary stove technology. The system features a flat-top cooking surface composed of an 11-by-8 grid of two-by-two inch cells. Each of these 88 cells contains an independently controlled radiant heating coil and a capacitive sensor for object detection. This granular control allows the cooktop to heat pots and pans of any shape or size by activating only the cells directly beneath the cookware. The product is managed through a touchscreen user interface that enables personalized experiences through over-the-air software updates. Additional functionalities include assistive cooking applications with recipe guidance and the ability to set multiple, independent timers. The company's stated long-term objective is to leverage the rich data collected from the sensor array to move towards greater automation in the home cooking experience.

HotSpot CookTop's business model appears to be focused on a business-to-business (B2B) approach, supplying its technology to established appliance manufacturers. This is evidenced by a significant early milestone: a $13,000 paid pilot program conducted with B/S/H (Bosch), a major global appliance firm, to test a fully functional prototype. This strategy suggests that revenue will be generated through licensing agreements or by supplying the core technology as a component for other brands' premium product lines.

Keywords: smart cooktop, kitchen technology, household appliances, radiant heat, sensor cooking, assistive cooking, home automation, touchscreen interface, independent heating zones, cooking technology licensing, advanced cookware, user interface design, recipe guidance system, smart kitchen, cooking automation, connected appliances, Cal Wilkes, B/S/H partnership, capacitive sensing, cooking surface technology