Theker, a Barcelona-based AI robotics startup, has raised $85 million in its Series A round, which it calls Europe’s largest ever for robotics startups. The funding was led by American venture capital firm CRV and included support from strategic investors like Samsung and Aglaé Ventures. Theker aims to create flexible, reconfigurable robots for factory settings, addressing the challenges of labor shortages and complex industrial tasks.
Theker’s robots are designed to be adaptable, with interchangeable parts such as hands and arms that can be resized or swapped depending on the task. This flexibility allows the machines to handle a variety of jobs, from sorting packages to packing clothing or managing bottles and cans in a warehouse. Inditex, Zara’s parent company, has already signed on as an early backer, signaling the startup’s potential beyond retail into heavier industrial applications.
Theker’s co-founder Carla Gómez Cano emphasized the company’s focus on real-world logistics and operations rather than innovation departments. The startup has a showroom in central Barcelona and plans to expand across Europe, the U.S., and Asia. Gómez Cano noted the team is expected to grow from dozens to up to 120 people by the end of the year, though she admitted the company raised twice its target, reinforcing its commitment to staying in Barcelona, a growing robotics hub.
Source: techcrunch
