Robotics Raises: Stord, Human Archive, August Robotics, Roboxi, PerPlant

We’re back with another round up of automation startup fundraises for the week of 5/25. We’ve got a new physical AI simulation lab, data center drilling 'bots, a startup with an interesting approach to gathering robot training data, and more.

No need to wade through the  noise. We’ve got all the recent startup funding news you want to pay attention to right here. 

August Robotics, $30 million, Series B

August's construction and industrial robots are designed to work together as an autonomous fleet. The startup's latest systems are designed for downward drilling or digging vertical holes -- ideal tasks for automation.

The Hong Kong-based startup announced a $30 million Series B round on May 21 led by Big Pi Ventures, with participation from Blackbird, Skip Capital and Tanarra, among others. August Robotics told A3 it's planning to use the funds to scale up to meet  strong demand from a hot industry: data center construction. 

Human Archive, $8.2 million, Seed

Robots can only advance so far on simulated and online data alone. But collecting enough ethically-sourced, realworld data to move the needle is quite the feat. Human Archive looks to change this by partnering with home services and food delivery companies in India. Employees where hats equipped with cameras to collect this coveted human-centric information. 

The company isn’t disclosing which gig service companies it’s working with — but will surely have to — considering the inevitable privacy questtions. The company just raised a $8.2 million seed round from Wing Venture Capital, Y Combinator, and NVP Capital, among others. 

Roboxi, €13 million ($15.12M)

Over the past year, it’s become frighteningly clear that airports aren't as state-of-the-art as many passengers assumed. Overhauling the entire air traffic control system is a massive ask, and there are other areas tech can help in the interim. 

Norwegian startup Roboxi builds robots that drive around airport runways to inspect their conditions and alert if a runway needs repair, is covered in debris, or has a light bulb out, in addition to other things. Roboxi just landed a €13 million ($15.12 million) funding round at a time where its tech is very needed. 

PerPlant, €1 million ($1.16M), seed round

Farming is a tough job that doesn’t come with a large margin for error. Farm land is also finite which means the industry needs ways to increase yields on existing crops to keep up or get ahead. There are a lot of startups building standalone robots that can do precision pest control or weed detection. PerPlant is taking a different approach. 

Denmark-based PerPlant builds AI cameras that are designed to be installed on any tractor in about 30 minutes. These cameras can monitor and gather data on every plant in real time and automatically tell the tractor what to do based on what it captures. The company just raised €1 million ($1.16 million) in a round led by angel investors. 

Stord, $250 million, Series F 

Stord, known for its software, warehousing, and fulfillment systems for omnichannel and ecommerce brands, raised a $250 million Series F round on May 26. This round included Strike Capital, Kleiner Perkins and Founders Fund, among others, valuing the startup at $3 billion. 

As for why Stord gets a spot in this roundup -- the company also announced the launch of Stord Labs, a facility that tests robots in a fully operational fulfillment center. “We built Stord Labs because the only way to develop physical intelligence that actually works is to develop it against the physical reality it will operate in,” a Stord spokesperson told A3.