The 10 Top Robotics Investments in January 2019

Robotics investments in January 2019 have crossed a minimum of $644 million worldwide, armed with a total of 25 robotics transactions. The $644 million raised in January is lower than the funding into this industry raised in December in tune of $652.7 million. One of the biggest investments in January that is $104 million Series A has been made into the Beijing Auto AI Technology Co. of China.

Other notable investments in January 2019 into Robotics include the $100 million JV into Ekso Bionics Holdings Inc. and a $59.61 million Series B funding into China-based NASN Automotive Electronics Co.

Here are the Top 10 Investments that ruled the Robotics Technologies space in January 2019.

1. Beijing Auto AI Technology Co. (China)- $104 Million Series A

Germany Auto Parts Supplier Bosch (Robert Bosch Venture Capital) with Tencent, Didi, Nio Capital, and AdvanTech made a Strategic Investment into China’s AutoAI, on Jan 31, 2019, and invested $104 million Series A funding. AutoAI’s systems monitor vehicle status, provide driver-friendly information and provide in-cabin entertainment based on user’s preferences and location.

2. Ekso Bionics Holdings Inc. (U.S.)- $100 Million Joint Venture

Ekso Bionics headquartered in Richmond, California, United States develops wearable exoskeletons for civilian, military and medical uses that augment strength, endurance and mobility. The company entered into an agreement with Zhejiang Silicon Paradise Asset Management Group and Zhejiang Youchuang Venture Capital Investment Co. (ZYVC) to develop, sell, and support products in Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Singapore. The parent company Ekso Bionics will contribute its relevant Chinese patent rights and license its manufacturing technology to the joint venture in exchange for a 20% ownership position. The other partners have committed more than $90 million in cash, with ZYVC and related parties pledged to invest $10 million in Ekso Bionics, half now and half after the JV begins shipping products.

3. NASN Automotive Electronics Co. (China) — $59.61 Million Series B

NASN Automotive Electronics headquartered in Shanghai, China manufactures driving related core technology products and automotive electronics. On January 30, 2019, the company raised CNY 400 million or $59.61 million Series B funding led by Matrix Partners, China. The other investors to the deal include Qiming Venture Partners, Shanghai GP Capital, Maison Capital and Shang Finance.

4. Baraja Pty. Ltd. (Australia) — $32 Million Series A

Baraja headquartered in Sydney, Australia announced a $32 million Series A funding in January 2019. A 3D machine vision systems manufacturer, Baraja Pty. Ltd announced the funding which was led by Sequoia Capital China, Blackbird Ventures (Australia) and CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation).

5. Humatics Corp. (U.S.) — $28 Million Series A1

Humatics Corp. founded in 2015 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor David Mindell and technology industry veteran Gary Cohen is a Cambridge, based company developing microlocation products that revolutionizes how people and machines locate, collaborate and navigate. On Jan 7, 2019, the company announced a Series A Funding led by Tenfore Holdings, a venture capital firm based in New York.

6. AirWorks Solutions LLC (U.S.) — $23 Million Seed Round

Cambridge based AirWorks, which makes software for aerial mapping and surveying, raised $23 million in seed funding led by Innospark Ventures, a Boston-based VC company. The funding was supported with participation from Rough Draft Ventures, MetaProp, EM Global and other angel investors. The company is developing autonomous software to help civil engineers assess and analyse construction site data assimilated from aircraft, satellites and drones, in real time.

7. Hailo (Israel) — $21 Million Series A

Hailo Technologies is an Israel-based deep learning company develops specialized deep learning microprocessor chips to deliver data center performance to edge devices. On Jan 22, 2019, the company expanded its Series A round to $12 million an investment which was contributed by Next Gear, OurCrowd, Maniv Mobility and angel investors including Hailo’s Chairman Zohar Zisapel and Delek Motors CEO Gil Agmon.

8. Shenzhen Lihexing Co. (China) — $18.86 Million Venture Round

Shenzhen Lihexing, based out of Shenzhen, Guangdong, China into the business of flexible industrial automation equipment for smartphone testing and packaging, raised $18.86 million in a January 2019 round which was led by Shenzhen Capital Fortune Investment Management and participated by Cowin Capital.

9. Fortellix Ltd. (Israel) — $14 Million Series A

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, Fortellix Ltd. develops a comprehensive verification framework for Intelligent Autonomous Systems (IAS), with a special focus on to Autonomous Vehicles (AVs).

10. Vicarious Surgical (U.S.) — $10 Million Equity Sale

Charlestown, Mass.-based Vicarious Surgical raised $10 million for its virtual reality-augmented robot-assisted surgery platform under development. The company’s platform combines proprietary robotics and virtual reality to assist surgeons in performing minimally invasive procedures. Vicarious Surgical’s website lists AME Cloud Ventures, Innovation Endeavors and Khosla Ventures as investors. The company pointed out that six investors have contributed to the current funding round, but did not identify them.