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Humanoids aren\u2019t quite ready to replace factory workers, but the industry can\u2019t wait. Faced with labor shortages, manufacturers have shown growing interest in startups that promise faster automation without the usual tradeoffs.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the bet behind Theker<\/a>, an AI robotics startup that aims to go beyond robots trained for a single task. \u201cIf you always have to put the same cookie in the same box, that works perfectly, but most processes aren\u2019t like that,\u201d co-founder Carla G\u00f3mez Cano told TechCrunch.<\/p>\n Theker is designed for that messier reality. Unlike humanoid robots designed around a fixed form \u2014 think Boston Dynamics<\/a> \u2014 Theker\u2019s machines are built to be reconfigured. Their hands, arms, and overall form can be swapped out or resized depending on the task, whether that\u2019s sorting packages, packing clothing, or handling bottles and cans in a warehouse.<\/p>\n That Inditex, Zara\u2019s parent company, signed on as an early backer is a signal of where Theker\u2019s ambitions start, not where they end. The company\u2019s broader goal is to move beyond retail into heavier industrial settings like manufacturing, where the complexity and scale of manual tasks is even greater.<\/p>\n This generalist ambition has helped cement Theker\u2019s status as one of Europe\u2019s hot startups to watch<\/a> \u2014 and raise capital accordingly. The Barcelona-based startup has just raised $85 million in what it\u2019s calling \u201cEurope\u2019s largest ever robotics Series A.\u201d (We haven\u2019t found a larger one in our records, either.)<\/p>\n Less than a year after a record seed round<\/a>, this Series A was led by American VC firm CRV and backed by a mix of traditional and strategic investors, including Samsung and Agla\u00e9 Ventures, the investment vehicle tied to LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault.<\/p>\n G\u00f3mez Cano said Samsung is not a client yet but that the two are in advanced discussions. Theker would welcome having the Korean company as a customer, supplier, and investor simultaneously \u2014 a trifecta that would give the startup both revenue and credibility in manufacturing at scale. <\/p>\n She also noted that she and co-founder Jiaqiang Ye Zhu \u201cdidn\u2019t build Theker to run pilots,\u201d so the team skips innovation departments entirely and goes straight to logistics or operations, where deals are real and timelines are shorter.<\/p>\n To demonstrate that the company can actually deliver on that, Theker has a showroom in central Barcelona, and plans to open others as it expands across Europe, the U.S. and Asia. It will also grow its headcount across tech, deployment, and sales.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe already received 15,000 job applications and have to filter like crazy,\u201d G\u00f3mez Cano said. She estimated that the team could grow from dozens to up to 120 people by the end of the year, then caught herself: \u201cI am saying that, but I also said that we\u2019d raise $30 or $40 million!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n That Theker managed to raise twice its target also reinforces the startup\u2019s conviction in keeping its HQ in Barcelona, a growing robotics hub<\/a>, and in Europe\u2019s tech ecosystem more broadly. \u201cIt has never been a barrier to acceleration for us, so we are making the most of it,\u201d G\u00f3mez Cano said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n