LONDON, ON, March 31, 2025 /CNW/ - Odd Burger Corporation ("Odd Burger" or the "Company") (TSXV: ODD) (OTCPK: ODDAF) (FSE: IA9), a leading vegan fast-food restaurant chain and food technology company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Graham Taylor, a leading expert in the field of Artificial Intelligence ("AI") as a member of its board of directors effective March 31st, 2025.
Dr. Graham Taylor, Professor of Engineering at the University of Guelph. (CNW Group/Odd Burger Corporation)
Graham Taylor received his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Toronto in 2009 and is currently a Canada Research Chair and Professor of Engineering at the University of Guelph. He co-directs the University of Guelph Centre for Advancing Responsible and Ethical AI and is a Faculty Member at the Vector Institute for AI. In 2016 he was named as one of 18 inaugural CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars and in 2018 he was honoured as one of Canada's Top 40 under 40. In 2019 he became a Canada CIFAR AI Chair and spent 2018-2019 as a Visiting Faculty member at Google Brain, Montreal. Taylor co-founded Kindred, which was featured at number 29 on MIT Technology Review's 2017 list of smartest companies in the world, acquired by Ocado in 2020. From 2021–2023 he served as Vector's Research Director and is currently the Academic Director of NextAI, a non-profit accelerator for AI-focused entrepreneurs.
"We are very excited to have Graham Taylor join our Board of Directors," says James McInnes, CEO and Co-Founder of Odd Burger. "As we continue to build the future of fast food, AI will undoubtedly be a key component of our technology platforms. The leadership that Dr. Taylor brings to Odd Burger in the field of AI will help us to roll out the best technology with the greatest impact to the Company."
Graham Taylor will replace Michael Fricker, who has served on Odd Burger's board of directors since January 2022. The Company extends its gratitude to Mr. Fricker for his time and guidance during the past two years.
AI Chatbot Launch
The Company is also pleased to announce that it has launched a custom-designed AI chatbot on its website (oddburger.com) so that it can begin the process of automating the Company's customer support, franchise sales and investor relations activities. The chatbot is expected to help the Company scale more efficiently and provide better response times and resolutions for its customers, investors and franchise partners.
"We are excited to launch our first AI system," says James McInnes. "AI is shifting the way companies do business, and I believe early movers will have a significant advantage in the marketplace."
The Company also plans on launching an AI voice agent, which will allow users to get a human-like experience when contacting the Company through the phone.
Issuance of Stock Options
Odd Burger is pleased to announce that it has issued 250,000 stock options at a price of $0.30 to both Graham Taylor and Marc Goodman. The board of directors is comprised of James McInnes (Chairman), Vasiliki McInnes, Francois Arbour, Marc Goodman and Graham Taylor. The stock options shall vest in 1/3 increments on each of the 12, 24 and 36 month anniversaries of grant.
Officers of the company are comprised of James McInnes (President, CEO, Interim CFO) and Vasiliki McInnes (COO).
About Odd Burger Corporation
Odd Burger Corporation is a franchised vegan fast-food restaurant chain and food technology company that manufactures a proprietary line of plant-based protein and dairy alternatives. Its manufactured products are distributed to Odd Burger restaurant locations through its foodservice line and sold at grocery retailers through its consumer-packaged goods (CPG) line. Odd Burger restaurants operate as smart kitchens, which use state-of-the art cooking technology and automation solutions to deliver a delicious food experience to customers craving healthier and more sustainable fast food. With small store footprints optimized for delivery and takeout, advanced cooking technology, competitive pricing, a vertically integrated supply chain along with healthier ingredients, Odd Burger is revolutionizing the fast-food industry by creating guilt-free fast food that can be enjoyed at its restaurant locations or at home though its CPG line. Odd Burger Corporation is traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "ODD" and on the OTCPK under the symbol "ODDAF". For more information visit https://www.oddburger.com.
Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains forward-looking information for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Any such forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "proposed", "expects", "intends", "may", "will", and similar expressions. Forward looking information contained or referred to in this news release includes statements relating to approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, future restaurant openings, potential franchisees, demand for our products and other similar statements. Forward-looking information is based on several factors and assumptions which have been used to develop such information, but which may prove to be incorrect including, but not limited to material assumptions with respect to the continued strong demand for the Company's products, the availability of sufficient financing on reasonable terms to fund the Company's capital requirements and the ability to obtain necessary equipment, production inputs and labour. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking information include, among others, negative cash flow and future financing requirements to sustain and grow operations, limited history of operations and revenues and no history of earnings or dividends, expansion of facilities, competition, availability of raw materials, dependence on senior management and key personnel, general business risk and liability, regulation of the food industry, change in laws, regulations and guidelines, compliance with laws, unfavourable publicity or consumer perception, product liability and product recalls, risks related to intellectual property, difficulties with forecasts, management of growth and litigation, as well as the impact of, uncertainties and risks associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. For a more comprehensive discussion of the risks faced by the Company, please refer to the Company's Annual Information Form filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities at www.sedarplus.ca. The forward-looking information in this news release reflects the current expectations, assumptions and/or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available. Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
Non-GAAP Measures
This news release may refer to certain non-GAAP measures. These measures are not recognized measures under IFRS, do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS, and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Rather, these measures are provided as additional information to complement those IFRS measures by providing further understanding of our results of operations from management's perspective. Accordingly, these measures should not be considered in isolation nor as a substitute for analysis of our financial information reported under IFRS. The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
