Rolo Robotics raises US$3.45M for autonomous micro-kitchens

Singapore-based robotics startup Rolo Robotics has raised US$3.45 million in a seed funding round backed by a global consortium of investors, including A2D Ventures, BEENEXT, Seedstars, TIS Japan, Antler, Lotus One Investment, and Blueprint Ventures. The round also saw continued support from angel investors Valentin Schillo and Gilbert Rodrigues. The fresh capital will accelerate the rollout of ROLO’s autonomous food robots across Singapore, with pilot projects planned for Australia in early 2026. The company’s long-term vision is to create a network of 20 to 30 robot-powered micro-kitchens in Singapore by 2026—operating 24/7 to meet growing demand for fast, affordable, and freshly cooked meals in public spaces. Founded by Ravi Nahappan, ROLO Robotics develops autonomous food kiosks that can cook and serve made-to-order meals without on-site staff, combining robotics, artificial intelligence, and industrial-grade precision. The company’s flagship system, MAYA 3.0, represents what Nahappan calls the next step in “human-robot collaboration” for everyday kitchens. ROLO’s autonomous kiosks are designed for campuses, offices, hospitals, and transport hubs, offering quick, hygienic meals for high-traffic environments. Each kiosk integrates directly with food delivery apps, enabling users to order seamlessly while maintaining real-time operational visibility for partners. With pilot projects already secured across multiple sectors, ROLO’s immediate goal is to deploy at least 20 autonomous micro-kitchens across Singapore by 2026 before expanding into Australia’s public spaces and institutions. The company’s vision extends beyond convenience—it aims to create a connected ecosystem of robotic kitchens that operate continuously, optimize food preparation, and reduce waste. By combining automation with smart logistics and data insights, ROLO Robotics is positioning itself as a pioneer in scalable, sustainable food automation across Asia-Pacific. tps://https://lnkd.in/g63WkN7k

What do Chef Robotics, Pickle Robot Company, Reflex Robotics, and Foxglove have in common? We were all named among The Information's 50 most promising startups of 2025—Chef was #3 in robotics! When we first started Chef, we were hyper-focused on solving the problem customers wanted us to solve, and it wasn't easy. But our customers motivated us to keep going through setback after setback (robots are hard). Today, Chef robots have completed over 73 million servings in production. If you buy a meal at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Costco, or Safeway, Chef robots likely made that meal! Soon, we hope to deploy robots not just in food manufacturing plants but also in day-to-day commercial kitchens. A big thanks to Rocket Drew, Jessica E. Lessin, and The Information for the recognition. We're especially proud that all selected startups are generating real revenue and delivering real impact across various industries today. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eBVrcn2f #robotics #ai #startups

🍜 Rolo Robotics Raises $3.45M to Scale Autonomous Micro-Kitchens This Singapore based is company redefining how food is prepared and served. Their autonomous micro-kitchens combine robotics, automation, and AI to deliver fresh, customizable meals. "At ROLO, we believe the future of food service is human-robot collaboration, food that's affordable, customisable and always fresh," said Ravi Nahappan, Co-Founder & CEO. Seedstars International Ventures participated in the $3.45M oversubscribed Seed round, led by BEENEXT with participation from Blueprint Ventures, , A2D Ventures, Antler, and LotusOne Investment. The round will fuel ROLO’s expansion in Singapore and Australia, accelerating the future of autonomous dining. Discover more here: https://seedsta.rs/4qYvqYv #SeedstarsPortfolio

San Francisco–based robotics startup Armstrong has raised $12 million from investors including Lerer Hippeau, Bloomberg Beta, and Next Play Ventures to scale its AI-powered dishwashing robots. Founded by Axel Hansen and Jonah Varon (who previously sold a company to LinkedIn), Armstrong is tackling one of the toughest jobs in restaurants—dishwashing, which sees high turnover despite $20/hour wages. The company’s robots are already washing over one million dishes annually for major restaurant chains, operating 24/7 under a monthly subscription that covers installation, operation, and maintenance. Using advanced neural networks and 3D perception, the robots can identify and clean messy dish piles with precision, integrating into existing commercial dish systems without workflow disruption. Armstrong’s broader goal: to create general-purpose kitchen robots that will soon take on prep, cooking, and cleaning tasks, helping restaurants stay open, efficient, and profitable amid ongoing labor shortages. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e-FsR4TC

This startup is pushing the limits of robotics and sustainability with their creative approach. It’s always inspiring to see how technology can shape a smarter and greener future. 🌍 #Innovation #Robotics #Startup #Sustainability #FutureTech

100 robotics startups to watch The Startup Radar profiles 100 robotics startups, each five years old or younger, that are working to shape the future of robotics. https://lnkd.in/dx87Q--A

🇨🇦🧑🍳 Appetronix, a Canadian food robotics company led by Nipun Sharma, has closed over $10 million in seed funding – including a $6 million “Seed Plus” round led by Jim Grote and the Grote family (founders of Donatos Pizza) via their family investment arm. The financing was co-led by Grote alongside AlleyCorp (Kevin Ryan, Jay Hass, Marshall Porter, Tanya Beja, Alexi Nazem, Abe Murray and will enable Appetronix to deploy its autonomous robotic kitchen systems in high-traffic venues, including airports, hospitals, and entertainment complexes. Read more on: https://lnkd.in/df7cskrG

Friday is here and so is the Friday Brief ☀️ Teaching Robots the Human Touch 🫴 mimic Robotics, a spin-off from ETH Zurich, has raised $16 million in seed funding led by Elaia with participation from Speedinvest, Founderful, 1st Kind, 10X Founders, 2100 Ventures, and Sequoia Scout Fund. The Zurich-based company develops frontier physical AI and dexterous robotic hands capable of performing complex manual tasks in manufacturing and logistics, bridging the gap between traditional automation and human-level dexterity. The new funding will accelerate the development of Mimic’s foundation AI models and support pilot deployments with leading global industrial and logistics partners.  👉 https://bit.ly/47ZPZvV Making Returns a Thing of the Past 👕 London-based Fit Collective, a fashion technology startup founded by Phoebe Gormley, has raised £3 million in pre-seed funding from AlbionVC, SuperSeed, True Global, and January Ventures, alongside an Innovate UK Smart Grant. The company uses AI to help fashion brands fix sizing inconsistencies at the production stage, cutting costly returns and improving fit accuracy across collections. The new funding will support team expansion, product development, and deeper integrations with global brands.  👉 https://bit.ly/4nCRIMt Fuel Savings Beneath the Surface 🚢 Hullbot, a maritime robotics company developing autonomous hull-cleaning robots, has raised AUD $16 million in Series A funding led by US-based Regeneration.VC, with participation from Climate Tech Partners, Katapult Ocean, Folklore, and others. Founded in 2014 by Tom Loefler and Karl Watfern, the company’s technology removes biofouling from vessel hulls to reduce drag, significantly cutting fuel consumption and preventing thousands of tonnes of CO₂ emissions. The new funding will support global expansion, larger robot development, and increased production of Hullbot’s Australian-built systems to help decarbonise the shipping industry.  👉 https://bit.ly/4hM5URH Setting Sail on Electric Power ⚡ Detroit-based Voltaic Marine, a developer of high-performance electric boats and surface vehicles, has raised $3 million in a pre-seed round led by Antler, with participation from South Loop Ventures, Trousdale Ventures, Cobra Capital, Michigan Rise, and the Michigan Outdoor Innovation Fund. Founded in 2023, the company is developing a modular electric platform that powers both recreational vessels and unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), delivering twice the performance of existing systems through advanced hull and battery technology.   👉 https://bit.ly/3LiWzVF 

🤖 What's brewing in robotics innovation? We just dropped a podcast recap from RoboBusiness 2025—and it's packed with insights from 10 game-changing startups. We sat down with founders building everything from collaborative robots to autonomous systems, uncovering the tech and strategies shaping the industry right now. These aren't just cool demos—they're solutions tackling real manufacturing and logistics challenges. • Why it matters: Early-stage robotics companies are pushing boundaries in automation, and understanding their vision helps us all stay ahead of what's next. Follow for more robotics and AI coverage straight from the industry's biggest events! 🚀 #Robotics #RoboBusiness #AI #Startups #Automation #Innovation #AMR #Humanoids Source: https://lnkd.in/gp2cG85f

The funding round underlines renewed investor interest in the robotics space in India as other startups including Ati Motors and Miko also attracted sizable investments earlier this year. Unbox Robotics https://lnkd.in/eCqxduqd