Companion robot developer Embodied, backed by Osage University Partners, has raised $12.4m in a round with a target size of approximately $18.8m.
Embodied, a US-based robotics and artificial intelligence technology developer backed by spinout-focused investment firm Osage University Partners has raised $12.4m in funding, according to a regulatory filing.
The participants in the round, which has a target size of approximately $18.8m, have not yet been confirmed.
Founded in 2016, Embodied is working on companion robots aimed at the care and wellness sectors. The company remains in stealth mode and is yet to reveal specific information about its products.
Embodied’s technology is based on research by Maja Matarić, the Chan Shoon-Shiong professor of computer science, neuroscience and paediatrics at the University of Southern California. Embodied is not a spinout from the university, however.
Matarić, who specialises in socially assistive robots, co-founded the company with Paolo Pirjanian, formerly chief technology officer for autonomous vacuuming and mopping robots producer iRobot.
Embodied had previously raised $6.8m in funding according to securities filings, having secured part of a $38m commitment that Intel Capital, the corporate venturing arm of chipmaker Intel, made to a total of 12 companies in 2016.
The company’s shareholders also include Amazon Alexa Fund and Sony Innovation Fund, respective subsidiaries of e-commerce firm Amazon and electronics producer Sony, as well as Osage University Partners, Grishin Robotics and Hive Ventures, according to its website.
