RobCo, a Munich-based startup offering affordable and connected robotics automation solutions for SMEs, has raised $42.5M (approximately €39.17M) in a Series B funding round. This investment propels RobCo’s total funding beyond $60M (around €55.29M), marking a significant milestone in its mission to facilitate SMEs’ entry into automation and tackle challenges like skilled labor shortages and the transition to Industry 4.0.
The funding round was led by global venture capital firm Lightspeed Venture Partners, with continued support from existing investor Sequoia Capital. Kindred Capital and Promus Ventures also participated, alongside contributions from notable angel investors including Hugging Face CEO Clem Delangue and GitHub co-founder Scott Chacon.
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Making Robotics Accessible to SMEs
Alex Schmitt, Partner at Lightspeed, highlighted the transformative potential of RobCo’s technology, which aims to make robotics accessible to SMEs previously hindered by high costs and complexity. “RobCo has already made a significant breakthrough in this field with its developments,” Schmitt noted, emphasizing the technological and commercial potential for both the German and international markets.
Introducing Plug-and-Play Robot Automation
Founded in 2020 by a team led by Roman Hölzl, Chair of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence at the Technical University of Munich, RobCo specializes in creating flexible robotic hardware kits tailored for SME manufacturing. The company’s kits are designed for applications like machine loading, unloading, and palletizing, offering a modular and intuitive assembly through the vertically integrated hardware and software platform, RobCo Studio.
Advancing Robotic Autonomy with AI
Roman Hölzl, CEO and co-founder of RobCo, shared the company’s vision for the future of industrial robots, focusing on making them more autonomous and intelligent in their operational environment. “With our RobCo Autonomy approach, we focus on a deeper implementation of AI in our software so that robots can autonomously sense, reason, and act in their environment,” Hölzl explained.
Utilizing Capital for Growth and Innovation
The new funding will be used to expand the company’s distribution channels and advance product development, supporting its overall development and growth strategy. Hölzl expressed optimism about the journey ahead, aiming to become a leader in modular robot automation for SMEs in Europe.
With the support of venture capital powerhouses like Lightspeed and a $42.5M financing round, the german startup is motivated to take its solutions to the next level, democratizing robotics for SMEs across Europe and beyond.
