ANYbotics, a Swiss robotics startup specialising in four-legged mobile robots, have raised $50 million in Series B investment.
The funding round was led by international deep tech investors Walden Catalyst and NGP Capital with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners, Aramco Ventures, Swisscom Ventures, Swisscanto Private Equity, and other existing investors.
The funds will be used to scale deployments internationally, fuel the development of new capabilities, and solidify ANYbotics’ leading competitive position in robotic inspection solutions.
The investment comes as demand for robotic solutions surges in heavy industries such as oil and gas, chemicals, power, mining, metals and minerals, and utilities.
Faced with an aging workforce and labor shortages, these industries increasingly rely on innovative robotics solutions to streamline operations, reduce environmental impact, and increase worker safety.
ANYmal, the company’s groundbreaking robot platform, is both highly mobile and ruggedized for industrial use, a combination crucial for technology adoption and not seen in competitive offerings.
ANYbotics’ end-to-end solution returns value in operational deployment and is used by international market leaders such as Petronas, Shell, SLB, Outokumpu, Siemens Energy, BASF, and Vale.
For its ANYmal X platform, the world’s only Ex-proof legged inspection robot, ANYbotics has significant pre-orders and reservations for over $150 million from global oil and gas and chemical companies participating in the product launch program.
The additional funding aims to scale sales, delivery, and after-sales service globally to leverage the strong market traction.
Dr Péter Fankhauser, co-founder and CEO of ANYbotics, says: “This funding validates our unique approach to addressing fundamental challenges of operating complex industrial facilities.
“Our legged robots have already proven their value in increasing productivity and safety. With this investment, we will expand internationally and accelerate the development of our robots’ AI capabilities such as manipulation for maintenance work to revolutionize automated industrial operations.”
As the robotics industry evolves, ANYbotics’ close ties to leading robotics research from institutes such as ETH Zurich, University of Oxford, and Nvidia have been instrumental in maintaining its cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions.
Young Sohn, managing p0artner at Walden Catalyst, says: “We are thrilled to invest in ANYbotics, a pioneering technology originated at ETH Zurich that combines AI and Reinforcement Learning with robotics to create highly robust and autonomous four-legged robots.
“This unique technology allows robots to be easily deployable in complex industrial environments, making it an efficient solution for inspection applications in environments that are dangerous for human beings.
“Moving forward, we see a significant opportunity to leverage the company’s robust mobility platform and locomotion software stack to enable new use cases and expand their addressable market beyond robotic inspection.”
Nicolas Autret, partner at Walden Catalyst, says: “We are deeply impressed with the progress ANYbotics has made in achieving early commercial success in key verticals and establishing trust with marquee customers globally.
“We are excited to partner with Péter, Fredrik, and the entire team to build the next global leader in robotics.”
Christian Noske, partner at NGP Capital, says: “ANYbotics’ state-of-the-art technology coupled with a clear global value proposition is exciting – it enables humans to do what they do best and replace dangerous and repetitive tasks with a fully automated AI-powered robot.
“We are excited to work together towards large-scale deployments and further internationalization.”
Christian Noske, partner at NGP Capital, says: “At Bessemer Venture Partners, we firmly believe in the transformative potential of robotics companies like ANYbotics, which are not only redefining the market but also creating a significant positive impact on society.
“ANYbotics has demonstrated exceptional capabilities in developing innovative robotic solutions that address the growing needs of heavy industries, simultaneously enhancing productivity, worker safety, and environmental sustainability.”
