# Tovala

> Tovala is a Chicago food-tech company that pairs a Wi-Fi-connected countertop oven with a weekly delivery of chef-crafted, fresh meals. You scan a barcode on the meal, press start, and the oven programs its own time and temperature - steaming, baking, broiling and air-frying dinner in roughly 20 minutes with about a minute of prep. Founded in 2015 out of a University of Chicago venture challenge, the company sells the hardware near cost to build a high-margin, high-retention meal subscription. It has shipped more than 40 million meals, reached profitability in 2024, and raised about $68.6 million along the way.

- **Founded:** 2015
- **Headquarters:** Chicago, Illinois, United States
- **Founders:** David Rabie (Co-founder & CEO), Bryan Wilcox (Co-founder & CTO)
- **Team size:** ~380 employees (2024, approximate)
- **Products:** Tovala Smart Oven (Gen 1), Tovala Smart Oven (Gen 2), Tovala Smart Oven Pro, Tovala Smart Oven Air Fryer, Tovala Meals subscription
- **Notable:** Delivered more than 40 million meals cumulatively, Reached profitability in 2024 with roughly 20% year-over-year growth, Chicago Innovation Award winner (2017)

## Products & services

- **Tovala Smart Oven (Gen 1)** — First multifunction, Wi-Fi-connected countertop oven with scan-to-cook; steams, bakes, broils and toasts. Launched at about $399.
- **Tovala Smart Oven (Gen 2)** — Redesigned countertop oven at $349; later gained an air-fry accessory. Cloud-connected with barcode scan-to-cook.
- **Tovala Smart Oven Pro** — Six-in-one oven: steam, toast, air fry, bake, broil and reheat, controlled by app or barcode scan.
- **Tovala Smart Oven Air Fryer** — Five-in-one oven that swaps steam for a larger air-fry capacity; first new hardware line since 2018.
- **Tovala Meals subscription** — Weekly delivery of fresh, chef-crafted meals with a barcode that auto-programs the oven; plans from 4 to 16 meals per week, roughly $10-$13 per serving.
- **Scan-to-Cook grocery library** — The oven recognizes barcodes on hundreds of brand-name grocery items and cooks them automatically, beyond Tovala's own meals.

## Achievements

- Delivered more than 40 million meals cumulatively
- Reached profitability in 2024 with roughly 20% year-over-year growth
- Chicago Innovation Award winner (2017)
- Y Combinator W16 alumnus and University of Chicago New Venture Challenge success story
- Raised about $68.6 million and has not needed outside capital since 2022
- Kickstarter campaign raised ~$256,000 from over 1,000 backers (2016)

## Latest updates

- **2023-02** — Launched the Tovala Smart Oven Air Fryer, its first new hardware line since 2018.
- **2024-01** — Reached profitability with about 20% year-over-year growth and no new capital raised since 2022.
- **2025-08** — Partnered with Fly By Jing on a Sichuan chili-crisp meal collection and crossed 40 million meals delivered.
- **2025-12** — Featured in the University of Chicago Polsky Center's NVC@30 fireside chat on Tovala's journey to profitability.
- **2026-02** — Appointed Scott Braun as Chief Marketing Officer and announced a new food-processing facility in Winfield, Illinois.

## Links

- Website: https://tovala.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/tovala
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/tovalafood
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tovalafood/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tovalafood

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tovala
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-21