Alumni Ventures

Scythe Robotics, Inc. is a company based in Longmont, Colorado, that specializes in the development of autonomous robots. Established in 2017, Scythe focuses on creating highly intelligent machines designed to operate in unstructured outdoor environments. Their robots are emission-free and utilize electric motors, which allows them to effectively handle tasks such as mowing without damaging sensitive turf. This technology enables clients to work efficiently while minimizing their environmental impact.

R-Go Robotics is pioneering an artificial perception technology that enables mobile robots to understand complex surroundings and operate autonomously just like humans. Our business model is to partner with robotics manufacturers who share our vision of a future where automation is unfettered but focused on real-world solutions. Our team is comprised of world-class leaders with deep academic and industry experience, and we have a proven track record in bringing world-class innovation to market. ​We are currently in stealth mode.

Skyline Robotics specializes in automating all real estate maintenance work at heights. The company believes that humans are more than robots which is why they aim to automate all tasks that are dangerous, dirty, and dull. By providing industrial robots senses like sight, hearing, touch, and a brain, Skyline Robotics enables the automation of multiple service sectors. The company was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in New York.

Refraction AI, Inc., an autonomous delivery robot company, builds and deploys robotic platforms to provide goods delivery in urban areas. It offers The REV-1, a delivery robotic vehicle that picks up goods from restaurants, pharmacies, and grocery stores, and bring them directly to the customers’ house. Refraction AI, Inc. was founded in 2017 and is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Overview.ai provides real time fault detection that uses cameras and AI to monitor manufacturing robots, shutting them down if something goes wrong. Its smart camera automatically learns normal machine routines to detect any deviations, crashes or anomalies. Its system catches misalignments, breakage, and out-of-sequence behavior before significant damage occurs to product or machine.

Phantom Auto Inc. develops a software for the remote-operation of autonomous vehicles. It offers a software, which allows remote drivers to operate passenger vehicles, yard trucks, forklifts, and delivery robots in construction zones, bad weather, and roadside emergencies through Phantom's remote centers. The company was incorporated in 2016 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California. It has an additional office in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Strateos automates chemistry, biology, and tissue analysis into closed loop robotic labs that accelerate drug discovery programs. Through a combination of best-in-class robotics and control systems, advanced software for imaging and analytics, and remote cloud laboratories, we enable our pharmaceutical partners to more rapidly and efficiently discover new drug candidates. Born of a merger between Transcriptic and 3Scan, Strateos combines the strengths of those companies to amplify their impact and accelerate drug discovery. Transcriptic developed the first robotic cloud laboratory platform for on-demand life science research, which is currently in use at several top pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. 3Scan combined automation, machine learning and computer vision to extract spatial data from tissue samples and create detailed 3D representations as well as quantitative analysis of complex anatomical structures. Now these two portfolios will be combined to offer a suite of technologies for accelerating drug discovery and early development. By expressing life science methods as data, infrastructure virtualization will become possible. "Science-as-a-Service" will power the next generation of discovery, driven by huge efficiencies of both time and money. Transcriptic was founded in 2012 to create a better way to get lab work done. Tired of spending endless hours at the bench pretending to be slow, error-prone robots, they set out to build a modern solution to the day-to-day process of wet lab biology. Drawing on deep computer science and electrical engineering backgrounds in addition to life science, Strateos was born: a meticulously optimized, technology-enabled remote lab. Using state-of-the-art automation and control technology, and an emphasis on user experience and usability, they are working on building a stark contrast to the long, complicated sales process, high prices, and slow turnarounds of traditional CROs. They are working hard to build a great company that can be a true partner for your lab for a long time, progressively enabling ever greater levels of productivity and efficiency. They are scientists building for scientists.

Picnic is an innovator of food production technology and Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) solutions. Vivid Robotics, Inc. Picnic(hellopicnic.com), has collected an experienced team of food and technology industry veterans to develop and provide specialized intelligent technology and exclusive solutions for the food service and hospitality industries. Picnic's Pizza Production System is the first automated pizza system designed for commercial kitchen retrofit or new installations, producing hundreds of custom pizzas per hour with chef-chosen ingredients and recipes.

Refraction AI, Inc., an autonomous delivery robot company, builds and deploys robotic platforms to provide goods delivery in urban areas. It offers The REV-1, a delivery robotic vehicle that picks up goods from restaurants, pharmacies, and grocery stores, and bring them directly to the customers’ house. Refraction AI, Inc. was founded in 2017 and is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

RIOS, founded in 2018, is a technology company helping global customers automate their factories, warehouses, and supply chain operations by deploying a new class of dexterous AI-powered robots. RIOS robots handle hard-to-automate tasks, typically requiring human-level dexterity, in unstructured environments. RIOS is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA and has a pilot facility in San Carlos, CA. More information is available at www.rios.ai.

RoBotany is transforming modern indoor agriculture with automated robotics and software analytics. Their patent-pending technology improves labor efficiency and crop output while also providing an unprecedented level of data analysis for optimization from seed to harvest.

Holographic Surgical Navigation

NextDroid, Inc. is an information technology company that specializes in robotic systems, autonomous vehicles, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, NextDroid focuses on developing intelligent machines aimed at transforming the transportation sector through self-driving technology. The company is dedicated to providing innovative solutions that enhance mobility and improve efficiency in the transportation industry.

Optimus Ride is a self-driving vehicle company based in Boston, MA. It designs technologies to enable efficient, sustainable, and equitable mobility systems and solutions. As an MIT spinoff company, it combines over 30 years of interdisciplinary university research in self‑driving technologies (DARPA Urban Challenge), electric vehicles (CityCar), and Mobility-on-Demand Systems. The team includes a decade of industrial and entrepreneurial experience that combines manufacturing robots, urban design, and shared vehicle fleet management.

Modbot brings industrial precision and power to consumer assembled robots. Imagine automated manufacturing and consumer robots within reach of everybody, assembled like Lego. Modbot is a system of affordable and re-usable modules that snap together, filling the gap between $100 hobby and $20,000 industrial motion equipment.

Vantage Robotics, LLC, founded in 2013 and based in San Leandro, California, specializes in the development and manufacture of camera drones. The company's flagship product, Snap, is designed for capturing high-quality aerial photos and videos while simplifying the user experience. This innovative flying camera has received significant attention, achieving over $1 million in pre-sales and securing a landmark FAA waiver for commercial operations near people. Vantage Robotics aims to address the $7 billion camera drone market by offering differentiated technology that enhances usability. Major companies, including prominent retailers, have expressed interest in distributing Snap, with projected annual sales exceeding $100 million. Vantage began shipping Snap in the second quarter of 2017, and it has garnered positive reviews since its launch. The company has attracted investments from notable figures in the drone industry and venture capital firms.

Cognitive Operational Systems, LLC, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, specializes in developing inventory management solutions for the retail sector through the use of robotics, artificial intelligence, and computer vision. Founded in 2012, the company’s technology enables robots to efficiently navigate retail environments, managing inventory, ensuring compliance with planograms and promotions, and providing indoor localization and navigation. Additionally, it offers mapping capabilities that detail store layouts and architecture. By leveraging university research, Cognitive Operational Systems aims to bridge the gap between academic advancements and practical applications in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine perception.