The largest robotics investment in January 2024 was a $100 million round secured by Norway-based 1X, a developer of humanoids (See Table 1 below). Chinese humanoid developer Robot Era raised $14 million in February.

Makers of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for agricultural operations were well represented among February robotics investments. Examples include Bluewhite ($39 million), Burro ($24 million), Saga Robotics ($11.5 million), farm-ng ($10M), and Ant Robotics ($2 million).

January 2024 Robotics Investments

Companies based in China attracted the greatest investment amount ($229 million), the result of 17 rounds (Figure 2, below). The leading investments among Chinese firms included Zhuoyi Intelligent Technology, a developer of drones and other classes of unmanned systems, autonomous truck developer Senior Automation, and GUOZI, a producer of AMRs.

Companies based in the United States raised $154 million in January 2024, while Norway, buoyed by the $100 million 1X investment, placed third among countries with $113 million in funding.

Figure 2: January 2024 Robotics Investment by Country

While Series B rounds attributed for most of the January investments, all funding types were well represented in January 2024 (Figure 3 below).

Figure 3: January 2024 Robotics Funding by Investment Type and Amounts

Editor’s note
What defines robotics investments? The answer to this simple question is central in any attempt to quantify them with some degree of rigor. To make investment analyses consistent, repeatable, and valuable, it is critical to wring out as much subjectivity as possible during the evaluation process. This begins with a definition of terms and a description of assumptions.

Investors and investing
Investment should come from venture capital firms, corporate investment groups, angel investors, and other sources. Friends-and-family investments, government/non-governmental agency grants, and crowd-sourced funding are excluded.

Robotics companies
Robotics companies must generate or expect to generate revenue from the production of robotics products (that sense, analyze, and act in the physical world), hardware or software subsystems and enabling technologies for robots, or services supporting robotics devices. For this analysis, autonomous vehicles (including technologies that support autonomous driving) and drones are considered robots, while 3D printers, CNC systems, and various types of “hard” automation are not.

Companies that are “robotic” in name only, or use the term “robot” to describe products and services that do not enable or support devices acting in the physical world, are excluded. For example, this includes “software robots” and robotic process automation. Many firms have multiple locations in different countries. Company locations given in the analysis are based on the publicly listed headquarters in legal documents, press releases, etc.

Verification
Funding information is collected from several public and private sources. These include press releases from corporations and investment groups, corporate briefings, market research firms, and association and industry publications. In addition, information comes from sessions at conferences and seminars, as well as during private interviews with industry representatives, investors, and others. Unverifiable investments are excluded and estimates are made where investment amounts are not provided or are unclear.

The post Robotics companies raised $578M in January appeared first on The Robot Report.

In December 2023, makers of autonomous mobile robots for indoor applications such as e-commerce fulfillment were well represented. Examples include GreyOrange ($135M), Cyngn ($5M), Instock ($3.2M) and SWARM Robotics.

Companies producing mobile systems for outdoor use also received sizable rounds. For example, Mu Qin Zhi Neng ($5M), Oak Heron Technology ($2.5M), and Greenfield ($2M) all produce systems for agricultural operations, while Gecko Robotics ($100M) provides robots for industrial inspection.

Robotics Investments - December 2023

As seen in Figure 2, U.S. companies received the greatest number of rounds (14) and the greatest investment amount ($512M). This figure was fueled by significant outlays for Shield AI ($200M), a developer of an autonomy stack for aircraft operations, and Gecko Robotics ($100M). Chinese firms also received substantial funding ($170M, 12 companies), of which $85M went to Zhiyuan Robotics, a Shanghai-based developer of humanoid robots. Companies in Germany ($16M), Korea ($11M), and Switzerland ($11M), also received significant rounds.

Figure 2: December 2023 Robotics Investment by Country

All funding types were well represented in December 2023 (Figure 3, below). For both the total number of investments and the overall amount of funding, most rounds and investment amounts fell into the ‘Other’ category, followed by Series A funding rounds.

Figure 3: December 2023 Robotics Funding by Investment Type and Amounts

Total robotics funding for 2023 equals approximately $12.9 billion (Figure 1, below). The average monthly robotics investment over that period equals about $1.07 billion. Funding in November 2023 was $418 million. You can read all The Robot Report‘s investment coverage here.

Figure 1: Monthly Robotics Investment for 2023

Editor’s note
What defines robotics investments? The answer to this simple question is central in any attempt to quantify them with some degree of rigor. To make investment analyses consistent, repeatable, and valuable, it is critical to wring out as much subjectivity as possible during the evaluation process. This begins with a definition of terms and a description of assumptions.

Investors and investing
Investment should come from venture capital firms, corporate investment groups, angel investors, and other sources. Friends-and-family investments, government/non-governmental agency grants, and crowd-sourced funding are excluded.

Robotics companies
Robotics companies must generate or expect to generate revenue from the production of robotics products (that sense, analyze, and act in the physical world), hardware or software subsystems and enabling technologies for robots, or services supporting robotics devices. For this analysis, autonomous vehicles (including technologies that support autonomous driving) and drones are considered robots, while 3D printers, CNC systems, and various types of “hard” automation are not.

Companies that are “robotic” in name only, or use the term “robot” to describe products and services that do not enable or support devices acting in the physical world, are excluded. For example, this includes “software robots” and robotic process automation. Many firms have multiple locations in different countries. Company locations given in the analysis are based on the publicly listed headquarters in legal documents, press releases, etc.

Verification
Funding information is collected from several public and private sources. These include press releases from corporations and investment groups, corporate briefings, market research firms, and association and industry publications. In addition, information comes from sessions at conferences and seminars, as well as during private interviews with industry representatives, investors, and others. Unverifiable investments are excluded and estimates are made where investment amounts are not provided or are unclear.

The post Robotics investments top $749M in December 2023 appeared first on The Robot Report.

May Mobility launched an autonomous driving shuttle service in November at an Arizona retirement community.

Robotics investments reached about $418 million in November 2023 as a result of 40 funding rounds. November’s $418 million was the lowest monthly funding amount through the first 11 months of 2023. With the November investments, robotics funding for the first 11 months of 2023 totals approximately $12.1 billion.

The two largest individual investment rounds for November 2023 went to providers of self-driving software and hardware. May Mobility, a provider of autonomous driving technology for commercial fleets, pulled in a $105 million Series D round, while Eacon Mining, a developer of autonomous haulage solutions for operations at surface mines, raised more than $55 million in Series C funding.

Other companies receiving sizeable funding rounds in November 2023 include GITAI, a developer of remote-controlled robots to support astronaut’s operations in space ($47.5 million), and China-based HCFA, a manufacturer and integrator of industrial automation and robotics products ($38 million).

As with previous months in 2023, companies located in China and the United States received the majority of robotics investments, $166 million and $149 million, respectively. Companies based in China and the U.S. also received the majority of the rounds (23 of 40 investments between them), with the companies in the remaining countries each receiving 3 or fewer investments. Two investments into the Japanese firms GITAI and Sensyn Robotics resulted in $63 million in funding.

All types of robotics investments were well represented in November 2023 (Figures 2 and 3). For both the total number of investments and the overall amount of funding, most rounds and investment amounts fell into the ‘Other’ category, a catchall phrase for investment types that fall outside the typical stages of funding that businesses go through before their initial public offering (ex. Seed, Series A, B, C, D, E and F funding). Michigan-based May Mobility’s outsized Series D investment ($105 million) accounted for approximately one-quarter of all November 2023 funding.

For a recap of the investments, see the table below or view a downloadable table here.

Editor’s note
What defines robotics investments? The answer to this simple question is central in any attempt to quantify them with some degree of rigor. To make investment analyses consistent, repeatable, and valuable, it is critical to wring out as much subjectivity as possible during the evaluation process. This begins with a definition of terms and a description of assumptions.

Investors and investing
Investment should come from venture capital firms, corporate investment groups, angel investors, and other sources. Friends-and-family investments, government/non-governmental agency grants, and crowd-sourced funding are excluded.

Robotics and intelligent systems companies
Robotics companies must generate or expect to generate revenue from the production of robotics products (that sense, analyze, and act in the physical world), hardware or software subsystems and enabling technologies for robots, or services supporting robotics devices. For this analysis, autonomous vehicles (including technologies that support autonomous driving) and drones are considered robots, while 3D printers, CNC systems, and various types of “hard” automation are not.

Companies that are “robotic” in name only, or use the term “robot” to describe products and services that do not enable or support devices acting in the physical world, are excluded. For example, this includes “software robots” and robotic process automation. Many firms have multiple locations in different countries. Company locations given in the analysis are based on the publicly listed headquarters in legal documents, press releases, etc.

Verification
Funding information is collected from several public and private sources. These include press releases from corporations and investment groups, corporate briefings, market research firms, and association and industry publications. In addition, information comes from sessions at conferences and seminars, as well as during private interviews with industry representatives, investors, and others. Unverifiable investments are excluded and estimates are made where investment amounts are not provided or are unclear.

The post Robotics investments reach $418M in November 2023 appeared first on The Robot Report.

Table 1: October 2023 Robotics Funding and Investment

In October, companies located in the USA, China and Germany received the majority funding amounts, receiving $530, $260, and $101 million, respectively (See Figure 1, below). Companies based in the USA received the majority of the rounds (22), while Chinese companies secured 10 investments.

The types of businesses receiving funding in October varied widely in their technologies, products and services. Unlike previous months in 2023, where surgical robotics companies and providers of self-driving software and hardware solutions for autonomous transportation dominated, no general investment theme emerged. It should be noted, however, that Didi Woya ($149 million) and Pony.ai ($100 million), both autonomous transportation solutions providers, did secure sizable funding rounds.

Figure 1: October 2023 Robotics Investment by Country

For both the total number of investments and the overall amount of funding, most rounds and investment amounts fell into the ‘Other’ category, a blanket term for investment types that fall outside the typical stages of funding that businesses go through before their initial public offering (ex. Seed rounds followed by Series A, B, C, D, E and F funding). Two late-stage fundings, Shield AI (Series F) and Pony.ai (Series D), accounted for approximately one-third of the total October 2023 funding amounts..

Figure 2: October 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Type

Figure 3: October 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Number and Amounts

Editor’s note: What defines robotics investments? The answer to this simple question is central in any attempt to quantify them with some degree of rigor. To make investment analyses consistent, repeatable, and valuable, it is critical to wring out as much subjectivity as possible during the evaluation process. This begins with a definition of terms and a description of assumptions.

Investors and Investing
Investment should come from venture capital firms, corporate investment groups, angel investors, and other sources. Friends-and-family investments, government/non-governmental agency grants, and crowd-sourced funding are excluded.

Robotics and Intelligent Systems Companies
Robotics companies must generate or expect to generate revenue from the production of robotics products (that sense, analyze, and act in the physical world), hardware or software subsystems and enabling technologies for robots, or services supporting robotics devices. For this analysis, autonomous vehicles (including technologies that support autonomous driving) and drones are considered robots, while 3D printers, CNC systems, and various types of “hard” automation are not.

Companies that are “robotic” in name only, or use the term “robot” to describe products and services that do not enable or support devices acting in the physical world, are excluded. For example, this includes “software robots” and robotic process automation. Many firms have multiple locations in different countries. Company locations given in the analysis are based on the publicly listed headquarters in legal documents, press releases, etc.

Verification
Funding information is collected from several public and private sources. These include press releases from corporations and investment groups, corporate briefings, market research firms, and association and industry publications. In addition, information comes from sessions at conferences and seminars, as well as during private interviews with industry representatives, investors, and others. Unverifiable investments are excluded and estimates are made where investment amounts are not provided or are unclear.

The post Robotics investment for October totals $980M appeared first on The Robot Report.

Companies located in the USA, China and Israel received the most rounds and the most funding amounts, dwarfing other countries (Figure 1, below). Companies based in the USA received the majority of the rounds (23), which resulted in a total funding inflow of $537 million. Firms based in China attracted $141 million in funding (coming from 17 investments), while four investments in Israeli companies accounted for $94M in investment.

The types of businesses and their offerings varied widely among the funded companies. As usual, companies offering robotic surgical systems and enabling technologies attracted sizable rounds. CMR Surgical ($164 million) and Virtual Incision ($30 million) serve as examples.

Also consistent with 2023 funding trends, providers of self-driving software and hardware solutions for autonomous transportation, also received substantial funding. Stack AV ($1 billion), Kodiak Robotics ($75 million), FERNRIDE ($19 million) and AutoCore ($10 million), exemplify.

Companies offering unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), usually coupled with drone-enabled data and analytics services, continue to receive sizable funding rounds. These providers typically focus on surveying and inspection applications for their offerings, with construction, agriculture, utilities and energy sectors as the target markets. Suppliers offering solutions to the defense and security sectors also attracted funding. Examples include AeroVironment ($109M), Treeswift ($11M), Shield AI ($150M) and Perceptual Robotics ($3M).

Figure 1: September 2023 Robotics Investment by Country

For both the total number of investments and the total amount of investment, most funding fell under the aegis of ‘Other’, a catchall descriptor for investments that do not include the typical stages of funding that businesses go through before their initial public offering (ex. Seed rounds followed by Series A, B, C, D and E funding). A single Series D round (CMR Surgical, $164M) accounted for approximately 9% of September 2023’s funding totals.

Figure 2: September 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Type

Figure 3: September 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Number and Amounts

Table 1: September 2023 Robotics Funding and Investment

Editor’s note: What defines robotics investments? The answer to this simple question is central in any attempt to quantify them with some degree of rigor. To make investment analyses consistent, repeatable, and valuable, it is critical to wring out as much subjectivity as possible during the evaluation process. This begins with a definition of terms and a description of assumptions.

Investors and Investing
Investment should come from venture capital firms, corporate investment groups, angel investors, and other sources. Friends-and-family investments, government/non-governmental agency grants, and crowd-sourced funding are excluded.

Robotics and Intelligent Systems Companies
Robotics companies must generate or expect to generate revenue from the production of robotics products (that sense, analyze, and act in the physical world), hardware or software subsystems and enabling technologies for robots, or services supporting robotics devices. For this analysis, autonomous vehicles (including technologies that support autonomous driving) and drones are considered robots, while 3D printers, CNC systems, and various types of “hard” automation are not.

Companies that are “robotic” in name only, or use the term “robot” to describe products and services that do not enable or support devices acting in the physical world, are excluded. For example, this includes “software robots” and robotic process automation. Many firms have multiple locations in different countries. Company locations given in the analysis are based on the publicly listed headquarters in legal documents, press releases, etc.

Verification
Funding information is collected from a number of public and private sources. These include press releases from corporations and investment groups, corporate briefings, market research firms, and association and industry publications. In addition, information comes from sessions at conferences and seminars, as well as during private interviews with industry representatives, investors, and others. Unverifiable investments are excluded and estimates are made where investment amounts are not provided or are unclear.

The post Robotics companies raised $1.8B in September 2023 appeared first on The Robot Report.

Companies located in the U.S., China and Israel received the most rounds and the most funding amounts, dwarfing other countries (Figure 1, below). Companies based in the USA received the majority of the rounds (23), which resulted in a total funding inflow of $537 million. Firms based in China attracted $141 million in funding (coming from 17 investments), while four investments in Israeli companies accounted for $94M in investment.

Companies offering robotic surgical systems and enabling technologies were particularly strong in August. Examples include PROCEPT BioRobotics ($150M), Vicarious Surgical ($45M), Ronovo Surgical ($27M), and Endorobotics ($8M).

Providers of self-driving software and hardware solutions for autonomous transportation, led by Pony.ai ($139M), also received substantial funding. Other companies include Innoviz Technologies ($65M), Helm.ai ($55M) and Imagry ($15M).

Figure 1: August 2023 Robotics Investment by Country

All funding types were well represented in the August 2023 investment review (Figure 2). Approximately one-quarter of the August 2023 investments were Pre-Seed and Seed rounds.

More than one-half of the August 2023 investment amounts fell under the aegis of ‘Other,’ a catchall descriptor for investments that do not include the typical stages of funding that businesses go through before their initial public offering (ex. Seed rounds followed by Series A, B, C, D and E funding). Investments in the ‘Other’ category accounted for over $500M in funding (Figure 3, below).

Figure 2: August 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Type

Figure 3: August 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Number and Amounts

Editor’s note: What defines robotics investments? The answer to this simple question is central in any attempt to quantify them with some degree of rigor. To make investment analyses consistent, repeatable, and valuable, it is critical to wring out as much subjectivity as possible during the evaluation process. This begins with a definition of terms and a description of assumptions.

Investors and investing
Investment should come from venture capital firms, corporate investment groups, angel investors, and other sources. Friends-and-family investments, government/non-governmental agency grants, and crowd-sourced funding are excluded.

Robotics and intelligent systems companies
Robotics companies must generate or expect to generate revenue from the production of robotics products (that sense, analyze, and act in the physical world), hardware or software subsystems and enabling technologies for robots, or services supporting robotics devices. For this analysis, autonomous vehicles (including technologies that support autonomous driving) and drones are considered robots, while 3D printers, CNC systems, and various types of “hard” automation are not.

Companies that are “robotic” in name only, or use the term “robot” to describe products and services that do not enable or support devices acting in the physical world, are excluded. For example, this includes “software robots” and robotic process automation. Many firms have multiple locations in different countries. Company locations given in the analysis are based on the publicly listed headquarters in legal documents, press releases, etc.

Verification
Funding information is collected from a number of public and private sources. These include press releases from corporations and investment groups, corporate briefings, market research firms, and association and industry publications. In addition, information comes from sessions at conferences and seminars, as well as during private interviews with industry representatives, investors, and others. Unverifiable investments are excluded and estimates are made where investment amounts are not provided or are unclear.

The post Robotics companies raise $851M in August 2023 appeared first on The Robot Report.

Table 1: July 2023 Robotics Funding and Investment

Companies based in China received the majority of the rounds (18), which resulted in a total funding inflow of $501 million (Figure 1, below). Firms based in the USA attracted $1.2 billion in funding (coming from 14 rounds), with investment into autonomous vehicle technology provider Aurora accounting for $820 million of that sum. Japan’s Telexistence, a provider of autonomous mobile robots for retail operations, attracted $160 million in funding. This single investment propelled Japan into third place among countries for total July 2023 funding amounts.

In keeping with well-established robotics funding trends, providers of self-driving software and hardware solutions for autonomous transportation secured sizable investment amounts. Examples include Aurora ($820M), Robosense ($164M), and HoloMatic ($48M).

July 2023 robotics investments were notable for the large number of rounds into producers of AMR solutions. Collaborative Robotics ($30M), Seegrid ($16M), Suzhou Aijiwei Robot ($14M), and Syrius Robotics ($14M) serve as examples.

Providers of drones, drone-enabled analytic services and enabling technologies also continue to attract the attention of the investment community. For example, Ehang ($23M), Verity ($11M), Lyncon ($5M) and others received rounds.

Figure 1: July 2023 Robotics Investment by Country

June 2023 robotics investments were atypical in that most funding fell under the aegis of ‘Other’, a catchall descriptor for investments that do not include the typical stages of funding that businesses go through before their initial public offering (ex. Seed rounds followed by Series A, B, C, D and E funding).

Figure 2: July 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Type

Figure 3: July 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Number and Amounts

Editor’s note: What defines robotics investments? The answer to this simple question is central in any attempt to quantify them with some degree of rigor. To make investment analyses consistent, repeatable, and valuable, it is critical to wring out as much subjectivity as possible during the evaluation process. This begins with a definition of terms and a description of assumptions.

Investors and investing
Investment should come from venture capital firms, corporate investment groups, angel investors, and other sources. Friends-and-family investments, government/non-governmental agency grants, and crowd-sourced funding are excluded.

Robotics and intelligent systems companies
Robotics companies must generate or expect to generate revenue from the production of robotics products (that sense, analyze, and act in the physical world), hardware or software subsystems and enabling technologies for robots, or services supporting robotics devices. For this analysis, autonomous vehicles (including technologies that support autonomous driving) and drones are considered robots, while 3D printers, CNC systems, and various types of “hard” automation are not.

Companies that are “robotic” in name only, or use the term “robot” to describe products and services that do not enable or support devices acting in the physical world, are excluded. For example, this includes “software robots” and robotic process automation. Many firms have multiple locations in different countries. Company locations given in the analysis are based on the publicly listed headquarters in legal documents, press releases, etc.

Verification
Funding information is collected from several public and private sources. These include press releases from corporations and investment groups, corporate briefings, market research firms, and association and industry publications. In addition, information comes from sessions at conferences and seminars, as well as during private interviews with industry representatives, investors, and others. Unverifiable investments are excluded and estimates are made where investment amounts are not provided or are unclear.

The post July robotics investments approach $2B appeared first on The Robot Report.

Robotics funding reached $2.1 billion in June 2023 as a result of 51 investments. This brings the year-to-date investment total for the robotics industry to approximately $6.1 billion.

Table 1: June 2023 Robotics Funding and Investment

Companies based in the United States and China once again received the most number of rounds, 20 and 8, respectively (see Figure 1). However, firms based in Israel attracted the greatest amount of investment buoyed by $1.6 billion going to Mobileye, a maker of vision-based sensors for driver assist and autonomous driving applications. Similarly, Israel-based Percepto, a developer of autonomous drone technology for surveillance and inspections, attracted $67 million in Series C funding.

Providers of drones, drone-enabling technologies and analytic services continue to attract the attention of the investment community. Other examples include United Aircraft ($168M), B GARAGE ($20M) and ideaForge ($7M). Surgical robotics developers and their enabling technologies also continue to secure sizable funding rounds. For example, Aibo Medical Robot secured a $14M Series A investment, while Virtual Incision and THINK Surgical received investments of $10.9M and $5M, respectively.

Figure 1: June 2023 Robotics Investment by Country

June 2023 robotics investments were atypical in that most funding fell under the aegis of ‘Other’, a catchall descriptor for investments that do not include the typical stages of funding that businesses go through before their initial public offering (ex. Seed rounds followed by Series A, B, C, D and E funding). Mobileye’s post-IPO secondary round skewed the June 2023 results.

Figure 2: June 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Type

Figure 3: June 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Number and Amounts

Editor’s note: What defines robotics investments? The answer to this simple question is central in any attempt to quantify them with some degree of rigor. To make investment analyses consistent, repeatable, and valuable, it is critical to wring out as much subjectivity as possible during the evaluation process. This begins with a definition of terms and a description of assumptions.

Investors and investing
Investment should come from venture capital firms, corporate investment groups, angel investors, and other sources. Friends-and-family investments, government/non-governmental agency grants, and crowd-sourced funding are excluded.

Robotics and intelligent systems companies
Robotics companies must generate or expect to generate revenue from the production of robotics products (that sense, analyze, and act in the physical world), hardware or software subsystems and enabling technologies for robots, or services supporting robotics devices. For this analysis, autonomous vehicles (including technologies that support autonomous driving) and drones are considered robots, while 3D printers, CNC systems, and various types of “hard” automation are not.

Companies that are “robotic” in name only, or use the term “robot” to describe products and services that do not enable or support devices acting in the physical world, are excluded. For example, this includes “software robots” and robotic process automation. Many firms have multiple locations in different countries. Company locations given in the analysis are based on the publicly listed headquarters in legal documents, press releases, etc.

Verification
Funding information is collected from a number of public and private sources. These include press releases from corporations and investment groups, corporate briefings, market research firms, and association and industry publications. In addition, information comes from sessions at conferences and seminars, as well as during private interviews with industry representatives, investors, and others. Unverifiable investments are excluded and estimates are made where investment amounts are not provided or are unclear.

The post Here’s how much funding robotics companies raised in June appeared first on The Robot Report.

Funding topped $1.63 billion in April, $526 million in March, $620 million in February and $521 million in January.

Table 1: May 2023 Robotics Funding and Investment

Companies based in China received the most number of rounds (23) and the greatest investment amount ($257M). Swiss firms also received substantial funding ($111M), followed by Israel ($75M), Germany ($72M), and the USA ($70M).

Makers of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) continue to attract new investment. May 2023 robotics investments were notable for the large number of rounds into producers of AMRs, with funding amounts ranging widely. Slip Robotics, Blue Ocean Robot System, PuduTech, Saha Robotics, Xin Yihua (Sineva Robot) and Candela serve as examples.

Providers of drones, drone-enabled services and enabling technologies continued to attract the attention of the investment community. For example, Vantage Robotics, i-KINGTEC and Quantum Systems each received $20 million in funding, with many other companies attracting lesser amounts.

Figure 1: May 2023 Robotics Investment by Country

Series B rounds accounted for many sizable investments (Figure 2, below). Moon Surgical ($55M), ecoRobotix ($52M), ADASKY ($30M), GITAI ($28M), Blue Ocean Robotics ($25M), AutoCore ($25M), Hanyang Technology ($20M), Kossi ($14M), Voyager Technology ($14M) and Human in Motion Robotics ($10M), serve as examples.

Figure 2: May 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Type

Figure 3: May 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Number and Amounts

Editor’s note: What defines robotics investments? The answer to this simple question is central in any attempt to quantify them with some degree of rigor. To make investment analyses consistent, repeatable, and valuable, it is critical to wring out as much subjectivity as possible during the evaluation process. This begins with a definition of terms and a description of assumptions.

Investors and investing
Investment should come from venture capital firms, corporate investment groups, angel investors, and other sources. Friends-and-family investments, government/non-governmental agency grants, and crowd-sourced funding are excluded.

Robotics and intelligent systems companies
Robotics companies must generate or expect to generate revenue from the production of robotics products (that sense, analyze, and act in the physical world), hardware or software subsystems and enabling technologies for robots, or services supporting robotics devices. For this analysis, autonomous vehicles (including technologies that support autonomous driving) and drones are considered robots, while 3D printers, CNC systems, and various types of “hard” automation are not.

Companies that are “robotic” in name only, or use the term “robot” to describe products and services that do not enable or support devices acting in the physical world, are excluded. For example, this includes “software robots” and robotic process automation. Many firms have multiple locations in different countries. Company locations given in the analysis are based on the publicly listed headquarters in legal documents, press releases, etc.

Verification
Funding information is collected from several public and private sources. These include press releases from corporations and investment groups, corporate briefings, market research firms, and association and industry publications. In addition, information comes from sessions at conferences and seminars, as well as during private interviews with industry representatives, investors, and others. Unverifiable investments are excluded and estimates are made where investment amounts are not provided or are unclear.

The post Here’s how much robotics companies raised in May 2023 appeared first on The Robot Report.

Table 1: April 2023 Robotics Funding and Investment

U.S.-based robotics companies landed the most rounds (17) and funding ($514M) in April. Chinese and Swiss firms also received substantial funding ($104M and $165M, respectively). See Figure 1 below.

It should be noted that South Korea, an outlier having a single company receiving funding, was included in the ‘Other’ category. However, that company, 42dot, a provider of self-driving software and hardware solutions for autonomous transportation, received a substantial funding amount of $783 million. Other sizable April 2023 robotics investments include Zipline ($330 million), Distalmotion ($150 million), Covariant ($75 million), Carbon Robotics ($30 million), Phantom Auto ($25 million) and Robust.AI ($20 million).

Figure 1: April 2023 Robotics Investment by Country

Early investments (Pre-Seed, Seed and A rounds) accounted for most of the investments (42%). In terms of investment amounts, rounds deemed ‘Other’ attached most of the funding dollars. A single Series C round (Zipline, $330M) accounted for 20% of April 2023’s funding totals.

Figure 2: April 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Type

Figure 3: April 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Number and Amounts

Editor’s note: What defines robotics investments? The answer to this simple question is central in any attempt to quantify them with some degree of rigor. To make investment analyses consistent, repeatable, and valuable, it is critical to wring out as much subjectivity as possible during the evaluation process. This begins with a definition of terms and a description of assumptions.

Investors and investing
Investment should come from venture capital firms, corporate investment groups, angel investors, and other sources. Friends-and-family investments, government/non-governmental agency grants, and crowd-sourced funding are excluded.

Robotics and intelligent systems companies
Robotics companies must generate or expect to generate revenue from the production of robotics products (that sense, analyze, and act in the physical world), hardware or software subsystems and enabling technologies for robots, or services supporting robotics devices. For this analysis, autonomous vehicles (including technologies that support autonomous driving) and drones are considered robots, while 3D printers, CNC systems, and various types of “hard” automation are not.

Companies that are “robotic” in name only, or use the term “robot” to describe products and services that do not enable or support devices acting in the physical world, are excluded. For example, this includes “software robots” and robotic process automation. Many firms have multiple locations in different countries. Company locations given in the analysis are based on the publicly listed headquarters in legal documents, press releases, etc.

Verification
Funding information is collected from a number of public and private sources. These include press releases from corporations and investment groups, corporate briefings, market research firms, and association and industry publications. In addition, information comes from sessions at conferences and seminars, as well as during private interviews with industry representatives, investors, and others. Unverifiable investments are excluded and estimates are made where investment amounts are not provided or are unclear.

The post Robotics investments top $1.63B in April 2023 appeared first on The Robot Report.

Table 1: March 2023 Robotics Funding and Investment

Companies located in China received the most rounds (15) and the greatest funding amounts ($205M). Investment into US firms totaled $176M (11 rounds total).

All funding types were well represented in the March 2023 investment survey (Figure 2), with Seed investments making up most of the rounds. Approximately one-third of the March 2023 investment amounts came from Series C rounds, buoyed by investments into Flyability ($10M), Plus One Robotics ($52.7M) and Standard Robots ($86.5M).

Figure 2: March 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Type

Figure 3: March 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Number and Amounts

Editor’s note: What defines robotics investments? The answer to this simple question is central in any attempt to quantify them with some degree of rigor. To make investment analyses consistent, repeatable, and valuable, it is critical to wring out as much subjectivity as possible during the evaluation process. This begins with a definition of terms and a description of assumptions.

Investors and investing
Investment should come from venture capital firms, corporate investment groups, angel investors, and other sources. Friends-and-family investments, government/non-governmental agency grants, and crowd-sourced funding are excluded.

Robotics and intelligent systems companies
Robotics companies must generate or expect to generate revenue from the production of robotics products (that sense, analyze, and act in the physical world), hardware or software subsystems and enabling technologies for robots, or services supporting robotics devices. For this analysis, autonomous vehicles (including technologies that support autonomous driving) and drones are considered robots, while 3D printers, CNC systems, and various types of “hard” automation are not.

Companies that are “robotic” in name only, or use the term “robot” to describe products and services that do not enable or support devices acting in the physical world, are excluded. For example, this includes “software robots” and robotic process automation. Many firms have multiple locations in different countries. Company locations given in the analysis are based on the publicly listed headquarters in legal documents, press releases, etc.

Verification
Funding information is collected from several public and private sources. These include press releases from corporations and investment groups, corporate briefings, market research firms, and association and industry publications. In addition, information comes from sessions at conferences and seminars, as well as during private interviews with industry representatives, investors, and others. Unverifiable investments are excluded and estimates are made where investment amounts are not provided or are unclear.

The post March 2023 robotics investments total $526M appeared first on The Robot Report.

Companies offering unmanned aerial drones, usually coupled with drone-enabled data and analytics services, were particularly strong in February 2023, with firms receiving sizable mid- to late-stage funding rounds. These providers typically focus on surveying and inspection applications, with construction, agriculture, utilities and energy sectors as the target markets. Examples include Skydio ($230M Series E), Fulfil Solutions ($60M Series B), Garuda Aerospace ($22M Series A) and i-KINGTEC ($20M Series C). UK-based DRONAMICS landed $40M in Seed funding.

Table 1: February 2023 Robotics Funding and Investment

Companies located in the USA received the most rounds (14) and the most funding ($436M), dwarfing other countries (Figure 1). Investment into Chinese firms came in at a distant second (7 rounds for a total of $81M).

Figure 1: February 2023 Robotics Investment by Country

All funding types were well represented in February 2023 (Figure 2). Series E rounds accounted for the bulk of the funding amounts, buoyed by investments into drone data services providers Zeitview (formerly DroneBase) and Skydio, at $55M and $230M, respectively (Figure 3).

Figure 2: February 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Type

Figure 3: February 2023 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Number and Amounts

Editor’s note: What defines robotics investments? The answer to this simple question is central in any attempt to quantify them with some degree of rigor. To make investment analyses consistent, repeatable, and valuable, it is critical to wring out as much subjectivity as possible during the evaluation process. This begins with a definition of terms and a description of assumptions.

Investors and investing
Investment should come from venture capital firms, corporate investment groups, angel investors, and other sources. Friends-and-family investments, government/non-governmental agency grants, and crowd-sourced funding are excluded.

Robotics and intelligent systems companies
Robotics companies must generate or expect to generate revenue from the production of robotics products (that sense, analyze, and act in the physical world), hardware or software subsystems and enabling technologies for robots, or services supporting robotics devices. For this analysis, autonomous vehicles (including technologies that support autonomous driving) and drones are considered robots, while 3D printers, CNC systems, and various types of “hard” automation are not.

Companies that are “robotic” in name only, or use the term “robot” to describe products and services that do not enable or support devices acting in the physical world, are excluded. For example, this includes “software robots” and robotic process automation. Many firms have multiple locations in different countries. Company locations given in the analysis are based on the publicly listed headquarters in legal documents, press releases, etc.

Verification
Funding information is collected from a number of public and private sources. These include press releases from corporations and investment groups, corporate briefings, market research firms, and association and industry publications. In addition, information comes from sessions at conferences and seminars, as well as during private interviews with industry representatives, investors, and others. Unverifiable investments are excluded and estimates are made where investment amounts are not provided or are unclear.

The post Robotics investments reach $620M in February 2023 appeared first on The Robot Report.

Companies providing unmanned aerial drones and drone-enabling technologies, as well as drone services for search and rescue, public safety, industrial inspection, mapping and surveying, also attracted funding for Terra Drone, SwissDrones, SentinelSky and Nautical Wings, for example.

Robotics investments for December 2022 totaled $1.14B as a result of 55 investments. That represented a 7.7% increase over December 2021’s funding total of $1.06B (representing 65 investments).

Table 1: January 2023 Robotics Funding and Investment

As described in Figure 1, companies located in the USA received the most funding, both in terms of the number of rounds and the total funding amount for January 2023. The total funding for UK companies was sizable, buoyed by the investment into Oxbotica, a provider of a full-stack autonomy solution for autonomous vehicles.

Figure 1: January 2023 robotics investment by country

All funding types were represented for January 2023 investments (Figure 2), with C rounds accounting for the bulk of the funding amounts (Figure 3).

Figure 2: January 2023 robotics funding amounts by investment type

Figure 3: December 2022 robotics funding amounts by investment number and amounts

Editor’s note: What defines robotics investments? The answer to this simple question is central in any attempt to quantify them with some degree of rigor. To make investment analyses consistent, repeatable, and valuable, it is critical to wring out as much subjectivity as possible during the evaluation process. This begins with a definition of terms and a description of assumptions.

Investors and investing
Investment should come from venture capital firms, corporate investment groups, angel investors, and other sources. Friends-and-family investments, government/non-governmental agency grants, and crowd-sourced funding are excluded.

Robotics and intelligent systems companies
Robotics companies must generate or expect to generate revenue from the production of robotics products (that sense, analyze, and act in the physical world), hardware or software subsystems and enabling technologies for robots, or services supporting robotics devices. For this analysis, autonomous vehicles (including technologies that support autonomous driving) and drones are considered robots, while 3D printers, CNC systems, and various types of “hard” automation are not.

Companies that are “robotic” in name only, or use the term “robot” to describe products and services that do not enable or support devices acting in the physical world, are excluded. For example, this includes “software robots” and robotic process automation. Many firms have multiple locations in different countries. Company locations given in the analysis are based on the publicly listed headquarters in legal documents, press releases, etc.

Verification
Funding information is collected from a number of public and private sources. These include press releases from corporations and investment groups, corporate briefings, market research firms, and association and industry publications. In addition, information comes from sessions at conferences and seminars, as well as during private interviews with industry representatives, investors, and others. Unverifiable investments are excluded and estimates are made where investment amounts are not provided or are unclear.

The post Robotics investments reach $521M in January appeared first on The Robot Report.

Robotics investments for December 2022 totaled US $1.14B (See Table 1, below). This figure was the result of 55 investments and represents a 7.7% increase over December 2021’s funding total of $1.06B (representing 65 investments).

December 2022 investment into companies providing robotics solutions for autonomous ground transportation such as sensors, autonomy ‘stacks’ and ‘drivers’, and whole cloth systems, was robust (Einride, Helm.ai, Jiuyao Intelligent, Kuandeng, Kodiak Robotics, PhiGent Robotics, and Fixposition provide examples). Firms providing products and services for industrial inspection, mapping and surveying also attracted solid funding amounts (Energy Robotics, Flybotix, and Exyn Technologies, for example).

Companies developing robotic interventional systems, primarily surgical platforms, were well represented (i.e. LEM Surgical, Ronovo Surgical, and Sinovation Medical), as well as developers of field robotics solutions such as Scythe Robotics and Naïo Technologies.

Table 1: December 2022 Robotics Funding and Investment

As described in Figure 1, China and the USA received the bulk of the funding rounds. The same holds for the total amount of December 2022 investment, except outlier Sweden which was buoyed by hundreds of millions poured into Swedish firm Einride, a producer of driverless electric trucks.

Figure 1: December 2022 Robotics Investment by Country

December 2022 funding and investment types followed a familiar pattern, with numerous early-stage investments, and with large investments coming in later rounds or by other means.

Figure 2: December 2022 Robotics Funding Amounts by Investment Type

Editor’s note: What defines robotics investments? The answer to this simple question is central in any attempt to quantify them with some degree of rigor. To make investment analyses consistent, repeatable, and valuable, it is critical to wring out as much subjectivity as possible during the evaluation process. This begins with a definition of terms and a description of assumptions.

Investors and investing
Investment should come from venture capital firms, corporate investment groups, angel investors, and other sources. Friends-and-family investments, government/non-governmental agency grants, and crowd-sourced funding are excluded.

Robotics and intelligent systems companies
Robotics companies must generate or expect to generate revenue from the production of robotics products (that sense, analyze, and act in the physical world), hardware or software subsystems and enabling technologies for robots, or services supporting robotics devices. For this analysis, autonomous vehicles (including technologies that support autonomous driving) and drones are considered robots, while 3D printers, CNC systems, and various types of “hard” automation are not.

Companies that are “robotic” in name only, or use the term “robot” to describe products and services that do not enable or support devices acting in the physical world, are excluded. For example, this includes “software robots” and robotic process automation. Many firms have multiple locations in different countries. Company locations given in the analysis are based on the publicly listed headquarters in legal documents, press releases, etc.

Verification
Funding information is collected from several public and private sources. These include press releases from corporations and investment groups, corporate briefings, market research firms, and association and industry publications. In addition, information comes from sessions at conferences and seminars, as well as during private interviews with industry representatives, investors, and others. Unverifiable investments are excluded and estimates are made where investment amounts are not provided.

The post What slowdown? December 2022 robotics investments reach $1.14B appeared first on The Robot Report.

For over a decade, Robotics Business Review’s RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards have highlighted the most creative and influential innovations from around the world that have advanced the state of robotics. RBR invites technology, product, and services providers to submit an entry for the 2023 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards.

The deadline for submission is January 10th, 2023. The entry form is below, following the description of the RBR50 awards and eligibility requirements. RBR is a sister publication of The Robot Report.

Many Innovation Types

Robotics innovation can take many forms – technological, business, market, and investment – that act individually, or in confluence, to accelerate robotics sector growth. The sources for robotics innovation can be technology, product, and services providers, but also academics and researchers, governmental and private business development groups, and the investment community.

1. Business and Management Innovation

Entries should describe business and management initiatives or practices that enhance a company’s commercial standing, foster robotics sector growth or improve society. Innovative business and management categories include:

• Leadership – Setting goals and taking action that results in improved business performance, outperforming the competition, inspiring others, or other positive conclusions
• Market engagement – Actions that increase the interaction between a company and its customers, partners, or the robotics sector
• Business models – Novel approaches for selling robotics products or services, including market expansion, new product introduction, acquisitions and investments, and more
• Social good – Initiatives that provide a positive social benefit such as improving sustainability, encouraging diversity, increasing workplace safety, and supporting underserved groups or communities

2. Technology, Product, and Services Innovation

Submissions should describe innovative technologies or services that entered the commercial market after January 2021.

• Primary or Applied Research – Research published between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022 focused on robotics, automation and supporting technologies and methods that are expected to advance the commercial robotics sector
• Product Introduction – Innovative technologies and products that were released and made available for sale to individuals, companies and other groups in the industrial, commercial, public sector, and consumer markets
• Services Introduction – Includes newly introduced business, engineering or technology services. Examples include design, development and manufacturing services, legal services, and Robotics-as-a-Service offerings

3. Application and Market Innovation

These RBR50 entries should feature newly developed applications for specific sectors that deliver value, provide entry to new markets, or improve performance over existing approaches by improving productivity, increasing quality, reducing costs, etc. Markets include:

• Agriculture
• Construction / demolition
• Consumer
• Defense / public safety / security
• Energy / utilities
• Healthcare / medical / rehabilitation
• Hospitality
• Manufacturing
• Mining
• Retail / wholesale
• Supply chain / logistics
• Transportation

Benefits for RBR50 Honorees

The RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards offers a unique branding, marketing and education opportunity. Benefits for RBR50 honorees include:

• A press release announcing the winners of the 2023 RBR50 Innovation Awards will be sent out over the wire, as well as pushed through WTWH Media’s Robotics Group extensive technology and business social media channels.
• A searchable listing and profiles of the 2023 RBR50 Innovation Award winners will be hosted on Robotics Business Review. RBR50 winners will be cited as part of ongoing robotics coverage throughout the year.
• 2023 RBR50 Innovation Award winners will be included in a special RBR50 Innovation Award publication produced by The Robot Report to be inserted into Design World Magazine as a print publication (40,000 circulation) and downloadable e-magazine.

For a searchable listing of the 2022 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards winners click HERE.

To download The Robot Report June 2022 Digital Edition featuring the RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards click HERE.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the 2023 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award, the submission must refer to an innovation that was initiated, released, or executed between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022. The selected 2023 RBR50 honorees will be announced in mid-April, 2023.

Questions?

For questions regarding the 2023 RBR50 innovation awards, please contact Dan Kara or Steve Crowe

The post Nominations open for 2023 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards appeared first on The Robot Report.