A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting start-ups globally
RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – INDUSTRIAL ROBOTICS
- Roboteam, developer of tactical ground robots for military, raised $50M in a Series B round led by Generali Group. Link
- Clearpath Robotics, developer of unmanned robotic platforms, raised $30M in a Series B round led by iNovia Capital, and joined by Caterpillar Ventures, GE Ventures, Eclipse Ventures, RRE Ventures and Silicon Valley Bank. Link
- Sarcos, developer of robots for unstructured environments, raised $10.5M in a Series A round participated by Caterpillar, Microsoft and GE Ventures. Link
- KB Medical, developer of surgical robot arm, raised $2.5M in a Series B round from Kinled Holding. Link
- Tend.ai, developer of cloud based software for controlling Universal robots, raised $2M in a Seed round from True Ventures. Link
- Unibap, developer of internal logistics robots, raised $1.1M in a Series A round. Link
- Savioke, provider of autonomous delivery robots, raised an undisclosed amount from Recruit Holdings, Japan. Link
- Boulder Imaging, providing machine vision solutions for robots, raised $250K in Convertible debt. Link
- Robotany, developer of indoor vertical farming assistance robots, raised $100K in a debt funding round from undisclosed investors. Link
- Engineered Arts Limited, developer of humanoid robots, raised an undisclosed amount in debt funding from Lloyds Bank. Link
SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND
Franka (2016, Munich) – Company develops collaborative robot arm that can be programmed intuitively using apps or through manual guiding.
LEADER BOARD – INDUSTRIAL ROBOTICS
Healthcare
Auris Surgical (2009, San Carlos, $233M) – Robotic microsurgical system designed specifically for ophthalmic procedures. Backed by NaviMed Capital, Lux Capital, Mithril and Highland Capital Partners.
Medrobotics (2005, Raynham, $140M) – Develops Flex Robotic and Flex Retractor system which is highly articulated multi-linked endoscope and enables minimally invasive surgery. Backed by Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse.
Restoration Robotics (2002, San Jose, $116M) – Image guided robotic system (ARTAS) that enables follicular unit extraction. Backed by InterWest Partners, Sutter Hill Ventures, Alloy Ventures and Clarus Ventures.
Intuitive Surgical (1995, Sunnyvale, IPO) – Develops the ‘Da-Vinci Robot’, which is a remotely operated minimally invasive robotic surgery platform. Went Public in 2000.
Mako Surgical (2004, Lauderdale, IPO, Acq.) – Develops robotic and implantable surgical solutions for hip, knee surgery etc. Went Public in 2008. Acquired by Stryker Corp in 2013. Backed by Ziegler Meditech Equity Partners.
InTouch Health (2002, Santa Barbara, $64M) – Develops telepresence robots enabling telehealth solutions. Backed by Beringea, Acacia Venture Partners, InvestMichigan, Galen Partners and iRobot.
Xenex (2008, San Antonio, $48M) – Builds hospital sterilization robots that use UV light (patented pulsed Xenon UV) to kill infection causing organisms. Backed by Battery Ventures, RK Ventures and Targeted Technology Fund.
Manufacturing
Rethink Robotics (2008, Boston, $113.5M) – Develops factory robots that are affordable and easy to train. Backed by Charles River Ventures, Sigma Partners, Highland Capital Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Two Sigma Ventures, Goldman Sachs, GE Ventures and Wellington Management Company.
Persimmon Tech (2010, Wakefield, $16M) – Developer of vacuum robotics products in the semiconductor, data storage, LED, OLED, Solar and Flat Panel Display equipment markets. Backed by Intel Capital, National Science Foundation, ABB and Berwind Private Equity.
GrabIT (2011, Santa Clara, $11M) – Develops electro-adhesion based gripping products for robotics and material handling applications. Backed by Draper Nexus Ventures, Formation8, Nike and ABB.
Logistics
SeeGrid Corp (2003, Pittsburgh, $47M) – Develops 3D vision guided AGVs for warehouses. Backed by Innovation Works and Giant Eagle.
Aethon (1997, Pittsburgh, $44M) – Develops autonomous robots for internal logistics in hospitals. Backed by Trident Capital, Nexus Medical Partners, Draper Triangle, Salix Ventures and others.
Grey Orange Robotics (2011, Gurgaon, $39M) – Develops warehouse automation solutions for ecommerce fulfillment centers and postal services. Backed by Tiger Global, Blume Ventures, BITS Spark Angels and others.
Fetch Robotics (2014, San Jose, $23M) – Develop mobile manipulator robots for use in warehouse automation. Backed by Softbank, Shasta Ventures and O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures.
Service Robots
Service Robots – Retail
Bossa Nova Robotics (2005, Pittsburgh, $23M) – Develops autonomous information dispensing robots for retail stores. Backed by Riverwood Capital, Innovation Works and Walden Riverwood Ventures.
Service Robots – Hospitality Services
Savioke (2013, Sunnyvale, $18M) – Develops unmanned vehicle systems for research and development. Backed by Intel Capital, EDBI, Northern Light Venture Capital, Morado Ventures, GV and AME Cloud Ventures.
Military
Roboteam (2009, Tel Aviv, $62M) – Develops robots for defense tactical missions. Backed by Generali Group, Crossroads Capital and F&H Fund Management.
RoboteX (2007, Sunnyvale, $25M) – Develops tracked robots for security and scouting purposes for military or law enforcement agencies. Backed by Subtraction Capital.
RE2 Robotics (2001, Pittsburgh, $2.25M) – Develops unmanned vehicle platforms with manipulation capabilities for explosive ordnance disposal. Backed by Innovation Works, Draper Triangle and others.
Maritime
Liquid Robotics (2007, Sunnyvale, $82M) – Developer of Wave Glider which is a marine robot that functions as a platform for scientific, industrial and government payloads. Backed by Vantage Point Capital Partners, Riverwood Capital and Schlumberger.
Saildrone (2014, Alameda, $16.5M) – Develops autonomous unmanned surface vehicles for ocean data collection. Backed by Lux Capital, Capricorn, Social Capital and Schmidt Family Foundation.
Space
Moon Express (2010, Mountain View, $24M) – Lunar transportation and data services company. Backed by Richmond Global, TenCent Holdings and Founders fund.
Agriculture
Blue River Technology (2011, Sunnyvale, $30M) – Uses computer vision and robotics to identify weeds and selectively kill unwanted plants. Backed by Khosla Ventures, Pontifax AgTech, Data Collective, Innovation Endeavors, Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs and Ulu Ventures.
Harvest Automation (2007, Billerica, $28M) – Develops robots for automation of labour intensive activities in agriculture. Backed by Founder Collective, Life Sciences Partners, Entree Capital, MassVentures and Cultivian Ventures.
Tech Enablers
Rapyuta Robotics (2014, Tokyo, $13M) – Develops Cloud computing platform for robots. Backed by SBI Investment, Cyberdyne, V-Cube and Fuji Creative.
Mujin (2011, Tokyo, $7M) – Develops industrial robot controller and simulation platform for robot arms. Baccked by University of Tokyo Edge Capital.
5D Robotics (2009, Carlsbad, $5.5M) – Develops software for robot navigation and mapping.
Infrastructure Services
Redzone Robotics (1987, Pittsburgh, $52M) – Provides wastewater inspection technologies and services using robots. Backed by ABS Capital Partners.
Q-Bot (2012, London, $2.85M) – Develops robots that perform insulation below houses with timber floors. Backed by ClearlySo, EcoMachines Ventures and European Commission
Multi-Industry
Multi-Industry – Multipurpose Robotic Platforms
Clearpath Robotics (2008, Kitchener, $42M) – Develops unmanned vehicle systems for research and warehouse automation solutions. Backed by iNovia Capital, RRE Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank, CanRock Ventures, GE Ventures and others.
Hibot (2004, Tokyo, $17M) – Develops unmanned robotic systems for extreme environments. Backed by Draper Nexus and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital.
Multi-Industry – Surveillance
Knightscope (2013, Sunnyvale, $11M) – Autonomous robots for surveillance, patrolling and crime prevention. Backed by Plug and Play Tech Center, NTT Docomo Ventures, Konica Minolta and Flextronics.
Energy, Environment and Recycling
ZenRobotics (2007, Helsinki, $17M) – Develops a robotic waste sorting system which separates raw materials from waste. Backed by Invus and Lifeline Ventures.
Leaderboard includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount
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