Venture capital (current) and robotics startups

Under the title "It's getting ugly for the unicorn generation": Start-ups are threatened with running out of money", the Handelsblatt recently reported on the increasing financing problems with larger tickets. No reference was made to robotics.

General conditions have changed

The underlying conditions have changed fundamentally. Since the start of the war, company valuations on the stock market have fallen (further). Inflation has been exacerbated by it, as have supply chain issues. At the same time, risks have increased. All unfavorable for startups seeking funding.

Startups continue to be financed

Nevertheless, further financings have been announced in recent days. Of interest to our industry is that of the US robotics manufacturer Dusty Robotics. It received another 45 million US dollars and thus a valuation of 250 million US dollars. The website TechChrunch writes that robotics startups have hardly been affected by the slowdown on the venture capital front. Due to the pandemic (and demographics) since the interest in our industry has increased. I see this in the same way. There are definitely differences between startups like Gorillas, Delivery Hero and robotics. The aforementioned startup Dusty Robotics solves a real problem, then: it marks the ground in construction sites to create the layout for the construction workers. (This was new to me - is this how it's done in Germany?).

Thus, the business model remains decisive. Nevertheless, prices for robotics have probably also fallen (slightly?).

Inflation of startups - there are over 100 aircraft startups

A few months ago, the Chinese air cab company Autoflight announced its intention to open a branch office in Augsburg. The intention is to establish contacts with suppliers and capable minds. I am involved in a research project in this sector. This week we had a meeting in Augsburg. I asked the other company representatives and professors if Autoflight was already visible. Answer "yes" and: According to a recent survey, there are more than 100 (!) startups worldwide that want to develop new aircraft. One thing seems clear: There will be no room for more than 100 new aircraft manufacturers in the long run. 10 already seemed like a lot. (This brings us back to the statement that out of 10 investments, at most one will bring joy). Of course, the same is true for robotics. Another startup that wants a robotic arm funded will have a very hard time. Bottom line: it's always about problem solving and the people who want to solve the problem. Dusty Robotics seems to have both of these things going for it.

Are we networking? LinkedIn
-> To the Cobot group on LinkedIn (Link) .

In my own right/advertisement
The author of this blog is significantly involved in the AI/robotics project Opdra. He advises robotics companies and investors on market analysis and funding/subsidies. More about him can be found here.