Collaborative Robotics

And the Brief Future of Robots

Hello Everyone,

Given advances in robotics and Generative AI, I believe a new wave of robotics startups and funding for advanced robotics is near.

There is one recent event here that’s worthy of mentioning and I’d like to break it down a bit. We are seeing a wider range of hardware and software approaches to this “Robot Renaissance” that is likely coming in the years ahead.

Here I am referring to Collaborative Robotics. The way robots collaborate in the future is going to be a little bit different. This major new funding occured on April 15th, 2024.

General Catalyst is super involved. The Series B is quite large. The $100 million Series B, led by General Catalyst and featuring Bison Ventures, Industry Ventures and Lux Capital. That brings the Bay Area firm’s total funding up to $140 million. General Catalyst’s Teresa Carlson is also joining the company in an advisory role.

“Enabling Pragmatic, Trustworthy Automation”

In a geopolitical environment where logistics and supply chains are being disrupted, what role will automation and robotics play? GC’s Global Resilience thesis focuses on modernizing critical sectors - defense, industrial, energy, and healthcare. In industrial, we see constant pressure to do more with less. They say, companies need to increase output, reduce lead times, and remain cost-competitive while maintaining quality and moving production closer to home.

Their founder is Brad Porter.

As the two-year-old startup’s name implies, Collaborative Robotics (Cobot for short) is interested in the ways in which humans and robots will collaborate, moving forward.

While a “ChatGPT moment for robotics” is likely years away, there are some promising Robotics startups forming in the early to mid 2020s.

For example, in March 2024 robotics investments total $642M.

Hyperscale talent are’t just pivoting into Generative AI, but into new kinds of software that will lead to a Machine led economy.

Cobot has the pedigree, as well, with staff that includes former Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft, NASA and Waymo employees. Porter himself spent more than 13 years at Amazon.

Robotics Funding March, 2024