RobCo raises $100m to expand robotics

Munich-based robotics firm RobCo secured $100 million in funding from investors including Volkswagen’s VC arm and Exor, backing its push to scale U.S. operations and advance its “physical AI” technology that embeds real‑time machine learning into robotic hardware. The capital will fund global expansion, product development, manufacturing capacity and hires in AI research, robotics engineering and customer integration.

Founded in 2020, RobCo makes modular industrial robots for tasks such as pallet stacking, machine tending, engraving and inspection, marketed as affordable, adaptable and quickly reconfigurable alternatives to costly, fixed automation. CEO Roman Hoelzl said physical AI enables robots to perceive and respond autonomously to changing environments, shortening setup times from weeks to days and allowing redeployment across production lines.

Investors highlighted RobCo’s tight integration of machine learning, computer vision and control systems as a differentiator that helps robots handle variability in parts and workflows. Early customers include BMW and firms in automotive components, electronics assembly and logistics. The startup also aims to strengthen Europe’s industrial tech base by keeping development and production in Germany while competing globally.

The funding reflects broader investor interest in robotics that directly boosts productivity in the physical economy, complementing headline‑grabbing generative AI investments. Analysts see industrial automation, energy transition, and supply‑chain resilience as structural drivers for demand. Challenges noted by investors and executives include long sales cycles, tight margins, integration complexity, payment terms for public projects and the need to prove reliability at scale.

RobCo positions its modular, software‑first approach as a way to lower barriers to automation for small and medium manufacturers and to address labor shortages and rising costs without offshoring production. The company plans deeper partnerships with system integrators and equipment suppliers to accelerate adoption amid intensifying competition from established industrial players and startups.

The round is viewed as a significant moment for European robotics, signaling that sizable capital can flow into firms building applied AI systems for the real world. RobCo frames its mission as making intelligent robots as commonplace and easy to deploy as industrial software—augmenting human workers by taking on repetitive or hazardous tasks while supporting manufacturing competitiveness in high‑cost economies.