Minerva Humanoids Secures $10 Million in Pre-Seed Funding
Minerva Humanoids, a San Francisco-based robotics company, has announced a $10 million pre-seed funding round. The investment was led by General Catalyst, with participation from Long Journey Ventures, Credo Ventures, MVP Ventures, Kaya, RunwayVC, Compound, Founders Embassy, Hugging Face, Codecademy, YG, Walter Ventures, Tiny Ventures, Chaotica, and Babylon.
Company Mission and Product
Minerva Humanoids is focused on developing humanoid robots designed for high-risk industrial and public safety environments. Their flagship product, Roger, is a semi-autonomous robot that allows trained specialists to perform dangerous tasks remotely, such as handling explosives or working in hazardous energy sites. This innovation aims to enhance safety by keeping human operators out of harm's way.
Founders and Leadership
The company was co-founded by Maurice Rahme, who serves as the CTO. CEO Sandor Felber commented on the company's mission: "People are dying every day doing jobs the rest of the world takes for granted. We didn't set out to replace the people doing them. We set out to build a robot that lets them do the job efficiently from the comfort of their office or home."
Strategic Use of Funds
The newly secured funds will be used to advance the development of Minerva's humanoid robots and to initiate paid pilot programs in the fall. These pilots will test the robots in real-world scenarios, providing valuable feedback for further refinement and commercialization.
Investor Confidence
The involvement of prominent investors like General Catalyst and others underscores the significant interest in Minerva Humanoids' approach to robotics. With a focus on safety and efficiency, the company aims to transform how high-risk jobs are performed, potentially reducing the number of fatalities and injuries in these sectors.
For more information, visit Minerva Humanoids.