Six Pittsburgh-area startups have been selected for placement in an inaugural robotics-based accelerator cohort program aimed at turning these early ventures into sustainable enterprises.
The Robotics Factory, an initiative led by startup investment firm Innovation Works Inc. in partnership with the nonprofit Pittsburgh Robotics Network, announced that these six preseed firms will be eligible to receive up to $100,000 in funding. These startups will also have access to co-working space, mentorship and strategic resources to help grow company operations during the seven-month program, itself part of the "Accelerate" element of the Robotics Factory's three-pronged mandate, with the other two being "Create" and "Scale."
These are the six startups that have been selected out of an application pool of more than three dozen:
- Aquatonomy Inc., developers of underwater autonomy and data solutions and tools
- Cell X Technologies Inc., makers of a software and robotics platform that looks to improve the development and manufacturing of regenerative medicines
- Grasp Robotics Inc., creators of general-purpose robots that perform tasks humans might prefer to avoid like picking up and moving objects
- Leaficient Inc., producers of an adaptive light system for farmers aimed at increasing their growing seasons and improving the quality control of their crops
- Velo AI, inventors of an AI-driven bicycle sensor and light capable of informing cyclists of potential dangers or threats behind them by using tech found in autonomous vehicles
- Voaige, builders of an AI vision system capable of identifying items across industries without the need to use advanced training systems
The Robotics Factory is part of an effort that's being made possible following the region's win last October of $62.7 million in federal grant funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration as part of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge, which will fund various robotics- and robotics-adjacent-based ventures and developments in the region over the next four years.
Robotics Factory Interim Managing Director Kevin Dowling said combing through all the applicants proved to be a "tough" task, given the many different elements analyzed.
"We're looking at everything from the technical capability to the pedigree of the people who are involved. We look at the specific ideas and markets that they're looking at, we look at their viability across the board, the team [as well]," Dowling said. "So in many ways, similar to what a traditional investor might look at in a company; they look at the team, they look at the individuals, they look at the underlying technology, but they're very concerned what is the market opportunity as well."
All six startups will be temporarily based out of IW's AlphaLab Gear facility in East Liberty as the Robotics Factory continues to scout for a more permanent and larger space that will ideally be decided on in the coming months, according to Dowling.
"We hope to have something to talk about shortly, but there's still some issues having to do with real estate," Dowling said. "There's plenty of good spaces here in Pittsburgh to choose from, it's just finding the right space and the right conditions have been a challenge, and that pre-dates the whole [application] process."
Ven Raju, president and CEO of IW, expressed excitement about the launch of the cohort in an email statement to Pittsburgh Inno.
"The Robotics Factory leverages the strengths of the region's preeminent robotics ecosystem to provide capital and support to help shepherd companies to commercial viability and scale so as to create jobs in the region," Raju said. "We are very excited to announce the inaugural cohort of the Robotics Factory."
