West Palm Beach-based Levatas is in growth mode after raising $5.5 million in a seed round led by Castellan Group, an investment firm headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.
Levatas builds software that automates industrial inspections using robots, drones, remote sensors and fixed cameras. That makes it possible for those machines to handle dangerous, repetitive tasks for industrial businesses, including automakers, chip manufacturers, oil refineries and breweries.
"Because we enable their machines to handle rigorous tasks, the organizations we serve can see demonstrable ROI as measured by higher efficiency, more uptime, and safer workplaces," Levatas CEO Chris Nielsen said.
Levatas creates end-to-end solutions specific to each client and machine, with Boston Dynamics' Spot – a dog-like robot that helps capture site data remotely, enabling businesses to inspect hazardous environments from a distance – among the devices it powers.
The machine learning models built by Levatas "continuously monitor industrial assets to predict failures earlier and prevent unplanned downtime," said Tim Dykstra, director of strategic partnerships and channel sales at Boston Dynamics.
The company aims to increase its machine learning engineering team with the new funding, according to a news release. It currently has 25 employees.
Levatas is also focusing on scaling its software development and hardware integration capabilities so it can apply its technology to new industries.
Last year, Levatas announced plans to relocate its headquarters from Palm Beach Gardens to a 16,000-square-foot space in 360 Rosemary, an office tower near Rosemary Square in West Palm Beach.
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