New numbers out of Crunchbase this week see robotics investments once again trending in a positive direction. The earlier two years offered a steady drop in overall 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 primary 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 complete of $6.8 billion. The quantity continues to be nicely shy of the COVID peak of 2021, which introduced in $17.7 billion and even 2022’s $10.3 billion.
This does, nevertheless, sign restoration from the one-two punch of financial headwinds and post-pandemic reopenings, which introduced the trade crashing again right down to Earth.
The white-hot humanoids class continued to realize steam. Figure led the way there with a large $675 million Sequence B. That increase alone moved the needle a bit. The opposite notable humanoid funding arrived by the use of 1X. The Norwegian agency, which counts OpenAI as an early backer, brought in a healthy $100 million.
Medical robots have been having an excellent yr, because of huge rounds from MMI and Rono Surgical, however as soon as once more, labor substitute is the largest driver, as areas like warehouses and factories look to automate jobs they’re having issue filling.
These calls for aren’t going away anytime quickly, whereas continued funding pleasure round all issues AI is more likely to additional bolster robotic startup development. Sadly, it might take one other pandemic to see issues attain 2021 ranges.
