Collaborative Robotics Inc., a startup founded by the former head of Amazon.com Inc.’s robotics unit, today disclosed that it has raised $30 million in Series A funding.

Sequoia Capital led the round. It was joined by Jeff Wilke, the former chief executive of Amazon’s consumer business, as well as Khosla Ventures and Mayo Clinic. A number of existing backers contributed as well.

Collaborative Robotics was founded last year by CEO Brad Porter (pictured, center), who earlier served as the vice president of Amazon’s Amazon Robotics unit. The unit develops the warehouse automation systems that power the online retail giant’s fulfillment centers. Amazon has deployed more than 750,000 robots in its facilities to date.

“Our vision for a future where robots seamlessly integrate into our surroundings to enhance operational efficiency and human potential is now closer than ever,” Porter said in a statement. “This funding will accelerate our mission to bring the world’s first truly practical cobots to market.”

Collaborative Robotics is developing a cobot, a type of robot designed to operate in close proximity to humans. The startup says its system is designed to automate the task of moving merchandise within facilities such as warehouses. Porter told TechCrunch that the system will be capable of transporting boxes, totes and carts.

Many companies already use robots to automatically move merchandise within their logistics facilities. However, the more complicated aspects of the task still require human input. Collaborative Robotics says that it’s designing its cobot to perform such transportation tasks on an “end-to-end basis” with less need for human input. 

The startup has not yet shared any technical details about its hardware. However, it did disclose that its robot is not based on a humanoid design like some of the other entries into the category. Multiple startups, most recently Figure AI Inc., have raised funding over the past few quarters to build humanoid warehouse robots. 

In the long term, Collaborative Robotics plans to expand its focus beyond logistics warehouses. The startup believes its robots could also be deployed in locations such as offices, stadiums and hotels. Collaborative Robotics envisions its hardware being used for a variety of tasks ranging from facility cleaning to guiding visitors.

Though its hardware is still under development, the startup already has multiple customers. Collaborative Robotics provides a professional service offering, the Cobot Flywheel Program, that helps companies deploy warehouse automation systems in their supply chain facilities. The startup says it has customers in the biotech, healthcare, logistics and manufacturing sectors.

Collaborative Robots will invest its new $30 million funding round in commercialization initiatives. As part of the effort, the startup intends to build out its robot manufacturing infrastructure and launch early field deployments.

Photo: Collaborative Robotics