Gunnar Grass is the President and CEO of Chef Jasper, a Canadian technology firm developing and operating robotic kitchens. He first witnessed the limitations of food service in senior living when working for more than a year in a senior residence, serving meals from a menu with no choice which often did not meet residents’ basic dietary needs nor personal preferences. 

Gunnar founded Jasper in late 2016 to execute on his vision to make personalized food service affordable for anyone. He raised financing from leading VCs including Real and Toyota Ventures and led product development enabling the company to push the boundaries of what is possible in robotic cooking today. In 2021 and 2022 he initiated the launch in residential segment and the expansion to six buildings in 2022. 

Prior to founding Jasper, Gunnar led research and consulting projects for 1 1/2 decades as PhD, Postdoc, and professor with tenure at HEC Montreal, the Wharton School, and New York University. Among others, he worked for Deutsche Telekom, Deutsche Börse, KPMG, RWE, and World Wide Hearing. Gunnar is the treasurer of the Wharton Club of Quebec and a NEXT Canada Founder.