New numbers out of Crunchbase this week see robotics investments as soon as once more trending in a optimistic route. The earlier two years offered a gentle drop in total numbers, following a report 2021 pushed by pandemic-fueled job loss. As we head into the second half of the yr, 2024 is on-track to beat final yr’s numbers.
The first six months of the yr have seen $4.2 billion invested within the class, placing this yr nicely on observe to beat 2023’s 12-month whole of $6.eight billion. The quantity remains to be nicely shy of the COVID peak of 2021, which introduced in $17.7 billion and even 2022’s $10.three billion.
This does, nonetheless, sign restoration from the one-two punch of financial headwinds and post-pandemic reopenings, which introduced the business crashing again right down to Earth.
The white-hot humanoids class continued to achieve steam. Figure led the best way there with a large $675 million Series B. That increase alone moved the needle a bit. The different notable humanoid funding arrived by means of 1X. The Norwegian agency, which counts OpenAI as an early backer, introduced in a wholesome $100 million.
Medical robots have been having a superb yr, because of large rounds from MMI and Rono Surgical, however as soon as once more, labor alternative is the most important driver, as areas like warehouses and factories look to automate jobs they’re having issue filling.
Those calls for aren’t going away anytime quickly, whereas continued funding pleasure round all issues AI is prone to additional bolster robotic startup development. Unfortunately, it might take one other pandemic to see issues attain 2021 ranges.
