ANYbotics, a Swiss robotics company specializing in legged robots, today announced that it raised $50 million in a recent Series B funding round. The Zurich, Switzerland-based company said its legged robot, ANYmal is highly mobile, ruggedized, and designed for industrial use. It is being used by companies such as PETRONAS, Shell, SLB, Outokumpu, Siemens Energy, BASF, and Vale to complete inspection tasks.
ANYbotics was founded in 2016 and said its mission is to transform the way industries operate by automating manual and hazardous tasks. It primarily serves customers who work in oil and gas, chemicals, power, mining, metals and minerals, and the utilities.
The company noted that its funding comes as the demand for robotic solutions surges in heavy industries that are relying on an increasingly aging workforce.
“This funding validates our unique approach to addressing fundamental challenges of operating complex industrial facilities,” said Dr. Péter Fankhauser, co-Founder and CEO of ANYbotics, in a statement. “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.”
The company highlighted its partnerships with the robotic research institutions ETH Zurich and the University of Oxford. It also mentioned NVIDIA, since it is taking advantage of chip maker's GPU to power the ANYmal.
Investors see promise in ANYbotics
The funding round was led by investors Walden Catalyst and NGP Capital with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners, Aramco Ventures, Swisscom Ventures, Swisscanto Private Equity, and other existing investors.
“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,” said Young Sohn, managing partner at Walden Catalyst. “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,” Sohn added.
“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,” said Nicolas Autret, partner at Walden Catalyst. “We are excited to partner with Péter, Fredrik, and the entire team to build the next global leader in robotics.”
“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,” said Alex Ferrara, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. “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.”
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