Rethink Robotics, maker of a growing family of human-ish helper robots, has some more cash and another investor specializing in IPO-bound companies. The Boston-based company announced Thursday that it has closed its Series D round at $40 million, with $13.4 million in new funding added to the $26.6 million disclosed in January.
The initial amount had included Goldman Sachs, often the backer of companies on their way to going public; and now, the new addition has been led by Boston-based Wellington Management, an investment giant also known for backing tech IPO contenders.
Rethink Robotics has now raised $113.5 million in funding since its founding in 2008.
The new funding follows Rethink's introduction in March of a new robot, Sawyer, to join its well-known Baxter manufacturing robot. Sawyer, according to Rethink, is a single-arm robot created to work on machine tending, circuit board testing and other precise tasks “that have historically been impractical to automate with traditional industrial robots.”
The round also follows a major turnaround for the company, founded by robotics legend Rodney Brooks (of iRobot/Roomba fame), in 2014—during which the company made major improvements on Baxter's speed and precision.
