Robotics & Automation News

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Financials & Investments

QCraft raises $100 million to push toward Level 4 autonomy and physical AI at scale

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QCraft, a developer of autonomous driving AI, has announced the completion of a $100 million new Series D funding round.

The round was completed by a consortium of investors including Ningbo Ninghai Xingtaihe Fund, Wonderland Capital, Liangxi Science and Innovation Industry Investment Fund Partnership (managed by Broad Vision Funds), as well as strategic investors from a leading OEM and automotive electronics components supplier. [Read more…] about QCraft raises $100 million to push toward Level 4 autonomy and physical AI at scale

Heavy-industry robotics company Kewazo raises $35 million with backing from Chevron and Asahi Kasei

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Kewazo, the robotics company transforming heavy industry worldwide, has completed a new funding round backed by Chevron Technology Ventures, Asahi Kasei, Benson Capital, Mana Ventures, Gaingels, and Atlas Ventures, alongside lead investor Schooner Capital and existing investors True Ventures and Cybernetix Ventures. Total funding now reaches $35 million.

Kewazo’s lifting robot Liftbot is already deployed at more than 20 industrial sites in North America and Europe, including refineries, petrochemical plants, chemical complexes, and power facilities.

Asset owners and service providers are increasingly adopting Liftbot to replace cranes and manual handling – improving safety and efficiency while bringing greater schedule predictability to maintenance, turnarounds, and capital projects. [Read more…] about Heavy-industry robotics company Kewazo raises $35 million with backing from Chevron and Asahi Kasei

What KYC Requirements Financial Institutions Must Follow

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Financial institutions are subject to strict regulations to identify their customers. These regulations, better known as Know Your Customer (KYC) guidelines, are designed to mitigate fraud and illicit activities.

Follow the rules correctly, and it is possible to have safer transactions that will help in creating trust between both service providers and account holders. Both financial organizations and their clients need to understand these standards. [Read more…] about What KYC Requirements Financial Institutions Must Follow

RoboForce raises $52 million to build physical AI robots for industrial work

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RoboForce, a pioneer in what is being called “physical AI-powered robo-labor”, has secured a $52 million oversubscribed funding round, bringing the total raised to $67 million.

The round was led by YZi Labs (a $10 billion fund) with participation from Jerry Yang (co-founder and former CEO of Yahoo!), who join existing investors Myron Scholes (Nobel Laureate economist), Gary Rieschel (founding partner of Qiming Ventures), Carnegie Mellon University, and beyond.

The new capital will accelerate the company’s next-generation robot foundation model, scale general-purpose physical AI robots, and drive manufacturing readiness for commercial deployment. [Read more…] about RoboForce raises $52 million to build physical AI robots for industrial work

ASI Robots acquires Scythe Robotics to expand autonomous equipment across landscaping, construction, and agriculture

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Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) – or ASI Robots as it’s also known – has acquired Scythe Robotics, the Colorado-based developer of advanced, commercial-grade autonomous solutions for the landscape industry. 

The deal brings Scythe’s industry-leading onboard intelligence and proprietary computer vision system, Scythe Sight, to ASI’s established product offerings in industrial environments, like construction and agriculture, while further bolstering Scythe’s rapidly growing deployments of M.52, its all-electric, autonomous commercial mower.

Jack Morrison, Scythe’s cofounder and CEO, says: “With complementary values and missions, both Scythe and ASI build autonomy that shows up every day, in the real world, and delivers labor leverage for customers who can’t afford downtime. [Read more…] about ASI Robots acquires Scythe Robotics to expand autonomous equipment across landscaping, construction, and agriculture

Symbotic acquires autonomous forklift company Fox Robotics as revenue and profitability grow

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Warehouse automation company Symbotic has acquired autonomous forklift developer Fox Robotics, expanding its reach into dock automation and broadening its potential customer base.

The acquisition was disclosed during Symbotic’s fiscal first-quarter 2026 earnings call. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Fox Robotics specializes in autonomous forklift trucks used to move pallets between warehouses and loading docks. According to Symbotic, the company has about 25 customers, some of whom are not currently Symbotic clients. [Read more…] about Symbotic acquires autonomous forklift company Fox Robotics as revenue and profitability grow

Apptronik nears $1 billion in funding with $520 million extension to Series A round

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AI-powered robotics company Apptronik has closed a $520 million Series A-X funding round, with participation from existing investors including B Capital, Google, Mercedes-Benz and PEAK6, and new investors including AT&T Ventures and John Deere.

The Series A-X extension round follows a $415 million oversubscribed initial Series A raise in 2025, bringing Apptronik’s total Series A to more than $935 million and total capital raised to nearly $1 billion.

After the initial Series A announcement, Apptronik continued to receive substantial inbound investor interest, leading the company to open the new extension of its Series A at a 3x multiple of the Series A valuation, underscoring strong investor confidence in Apptronik’s vision for AI-powered robots that support people in every facet of life. [Read more…] about Apptronik nears $1 billion in funding with $520 million extension to Series A round

Deepgram raises $130 million Series C at $1.3 billion valuation

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Voice AI company Deepgram has raised $130 million in Series C funding at a valuation of $1.3 billion, as it looks to expand its real-time voice AI platform and scale deployments across enterprise and developer markets.

The round was led by AVP, with participation from existing investors including Alkeon, In-Q-Tel, Madrona, Tiger, Wing, Y Combinator, and funds and accounts managed by BlackRock.

New investors in the round include Alumni Ventures and Princeville Capital, alongside strategic backers such as Twilio, ServiceNow Ventures, SAP, and Citi Ventures. [Read more…] about Deepgram raises $130 million Series C at $1.3 billion valuation

Robotics startup Botsync secures additional Series A funding from SGInnovate

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Botsync, a Singapore-based robotics automation company specializing in autonomous mobile robots (AMR) and vendor-agnostic automation orchestration, has received additional funding from SGInnovate as part of its extended Series A round.

This new investment further strengthens Botsync’s position as one of the fastest-growing robotics players in Asia, enabling the company to enhance product R&D and ramp up deployments for existing customers.

Botsync has observed strong demand from customers in the FMCG, F&B, and automotive industries, driven by the region’s growing need for scalable automation solutions. [Read more…] about Robotics startup Botsync secures additional Series A funding from SGInnovate

Startup world: Incubators, accelerators and university spin-offs fueling robotics innovation

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Robotics & Automation News takes a high-level look at the global robotics startup ecosystem, and highlights the programs and institutions shaping it.

Robotics innovation rarely emerges fully formed from a garage or a single breakthrough moment. Unlike software startups, robotics companies must contend with physical systems, complex supply chains, safety requirements, certification hurdles, and long development cycles. Capital alone is rarely enough.

Instead, many of the world’s most influential robotics startups trace their origins to a quieter layer of the innovation economy: university laboratories, public research institutions, incubators, and accelerators purpose-built for hardware development.

These programs provide not just funding, but access to infrastructure, talent, industrial partners, and time – all of which are critical in a sector where premature scaling can be fatal. [Read more…] about Startup world: Incubators, accelerators and university spin-offs fueling robotics innovation