Sunrise Robotics, a company that says it’s “augmenting humanity through intelligent robotics”, is emerging from stealth with $8.5 million in funding led by Plural.
Tapestry, Seedcamp, Tiny.vc and Prototype Capital also participated. The investment will fuel the expansion of its European-wide team and enhance AI capabilities as the company scales production of the initial fleet of Sunrise intelligent robotic cells, bringing critical manufacturing capacity back to the continent.
Solving Europe’s manufacturing crisis
Industrial manufacturing makes up 15 percent of European GDP, with over 2 million manufacturers employing 32 million people, generating €2.4 trillion in value.
However, this key sector faces a critical threat: 32 percent of workers aged 50 to 64 will retire in the coming decade, whilst only 14 percent of Gen Z have said they would consider industrial work as a career because of perceptions around low pay, poor flexibility and safety concerns.
These labour shortages are undermining productivity just as geopolitical pressures and international challenges demand stronger domestic supply chains.
While the smart robot market is projected to double from $76 billion in value in 2024 to $150 billion by 2034, current automation solutions are inaccessible to all but the largest manufacturers.
High-mix manufacturers and those with a wide portfolio of products can’t justify the high capital costs and lengthy implementation timelines of traditional robots, despite the benefits. Sunrise was created to bridge this gap.
Software-defined manufacturing
Founded by three experienced entrepreneurs and operators CEO Tomaz Stolfa (vox.io, Layer founder), CTO Marko Thaler (Airnamics founder) and CCO Joe Perrott (PCH International, head of global program management), Sunrise employs a simulation-first approach to robotics hardware.
Each system is designed and built with dual arms, advanced perception systems and sensors. The robot cells are then trained through simulation technology – Sunrise creates a virtual replica of the workstation or production environment for each implementation and trains the robot’s integrated AI brain within this simulation.
This compresses the automation cycle, making it ten times faster and cheaper to deploy, so more manufacturers can benefit from automation and unmatched product quality.
In addition, the cells can learn together as a fleet, with regularly over-the-air updates ensuring they can continuously improve to expand capabilities and increase customer value.
Record speed to the factory floor
Sunrise says its founding team has “unrivalled robotics and software experience”, including building autonomous robotic systems and intelligent systems, enabling the shipment of 100 million+ consumer electronics products and creating software platforms serving 150 million+ users.
They have expanded on this experience by assembling talent from global tech giants Amazon, Google, Red Bull Formula 1, Unity and Waymo, enabling the company to progress from founding to customer deployment in just 18 months.
Initial systems are now operational in electronics manufacturing facilities across Europe.
Meanwhile, Sunrise has also signed letters of intent with 10+ customers in areas including supercar development, high-performance batteries and consumer electronics manufacturing, alongside multiple potential use cases for precision manufacturing.
This focus on agility, speed and delivery has attracted investors to back the company, which is taking simulation-trained robotics to the next level to transform European manufacturing.
Tomaz Stolfa, co-founder of Sunrise, says: “The future of manufacturing lies in accessible automation, augmenting humanity through intelligent systems driven by simulation and digital replicas.
“Our smart, flexible robot cells empower businesses by automating repetitive tasks, closing employment gaps and allowing workers to focus on higher-value activities, whilst ensuring Europe has the industrial prowess and capabilities that it sorely needs.
“Together with our customers and investors, we’re building a more efficient and sustainable manufacturing landscape for Europe.”
Carina Namih, partner at Plural, says: “The Sunrise team are world leaders in simulation-trained robots.
“These inexpensive robots boost productivity and solve hiring challenges right out of the box. I look forward to supporting them as they build a new era in European industrial manufacturing.”
Andrew Buss, managing director at Asteelflash Bedford, says: “Asteelflash is a global leader in Electronic Manufacturing Services, and we are constantly seeking innovative, game-changing solutions that enhance the quality and reproducibility of our offering, while giving us a competitive edge.
“Sunrise has proven to be an outstanding partner, enabling us to adopt cutting-edge innovation at remarkable speed. Just a few months after initial data collection, we had a fully trained, operational intelligent robot up and running within hours of delivery. We’re genuinely excited about what the future holds.”
