Smart Robotics Raises €10M for Warehouse Automation

The Dutch embodied AI specialist, Smart Robotics, has successfully closed a Series A funding round totaling €10 million. This significant capital injection is earmarked for accelerating the company's European expansion and further enhancing its proprietary artificial intelligence technology. The funding round was spearheaded by Rotterdamse Havendraken, with participation from Innovation Industries and the Dutch family office Ernij Next.

Smart Robotics distinguishes itself by leveraging a sophisticated AI control layer that underpins its pick-and-place solutions for intralogistics. This core technology enables the handling of a vast array of product variations with remarkable speed and precision, boasting an exceptionally low error rate. A key differentiator for the company is its extensive operational dataset, reportedly the largest in Europe for robotic picking, having surpassed 1 billion real-world robot picks. This data fuels a continuous learning process, refining the AI's performance, adaptability, and throughput over time.

With over 120 systems deployed across 15 countries and 5 distinct industries, Smart Robotics has demonstrated the scalability and effectiveness of its solutions. The technology is capable of achieving up to 1,000 picks per hour per system. This milestone achievement underscores the company's deep practical experience in warehouse environments, a crucial element that co-founder and Co-CEO/CTO Heico Sandee highlights as a core strength, alongside their integrated AI engineering, robotics, and logistics expertise.

The infusion of capital is strategically aimed at bolstering Smart Robotics' presence across Europe, targeting both product categories and advancing the AI capabilities. Co-CEO Felix Schmidt emphasized the funding's role in solidifying their position as a leader in embodied AI for intralogistics. Recent collaborations, such as the one with ProLog Automation, are expanding their reach into new customer segments and larger-scale projects, signaling a proactive growth strategy.

This funding arrives at a pivotal moment for warehouse automation. While manufacturing automation has reached approximately 70%, the logistics sector is only around 20% automated, despite the emergence of over 10,000 new logistics centers globally each year. Projections estimate the warehouse automation market to reach €67 billion by 2030, with robotic picking systems identified as a primary growth engine. Factors such as the relentless expansion of e-commerce, heightened customer performance expectations, and persistent labor shortages in developed economies are compelling businesses to automate manual processes, particularly in the realm of robotic picking, which represents a significant second wave of automation in warehousing.

Robin Slakhorst from Rotterdamse Havendraken commented on the investment, noting Smart Robotics' blend of technical prowess and practical logistics understanding. He specifically pointed to their ability to harness vast operational data for continuous performance improvement as a key factor in their strong market positioning. The founding team's extensive background, including Heico Sandee's PhD in Control Systems and decades of experience, and Felix Schmidt's expertise in strategy consulting and company building, further bolsters confidence in their execution capabilities.

Founded in 2015, Smart Robotics is now poised to expand its influence in the next generation of AI-powered logistics operations. Their integrated approach, combining proprietary software, extensive real-world data, and deep operational insight, solidifies their standing as a prominent European player in the rapidly expanding field of robotic logistics automation.