Keenon Robotics Raises $200M in to Expand Service Robot Offerings
September 15, 2021
China’s Keenon Robotics Co., which develops service robots for both delivery and disinfection purposes, has announced raising $200 million in Series D funding. The company said this round is the largest round of funding in the service robot field. The funding round was led by Softbank Vision Fund 2, followed by CICC Alpha and Prosperity7 Ventures (the diversified growth fund of Aramco Ventures).
Founded in 2010, Keenon, is an artificial intelligence company that provides intelligent delivery solutions around the world. Its technologies have been deployed in several industries, including real estate, healthcare, and hospitality. “As the world continues to look for ways to automate processes as a means to ensure safety, efficiency, and productivity, service robots are proving to be a successful solution to business needs,” the company said in a statement.
Keenon will use the funding to “drive innovation through its in-house R&D to provide new, efficient, and cost-saving applications, while scaling its current robot platform through the expansion in new markets and identifying new prospects to promote growth and boost revenue,” said Tony Li, founder of Keenon Robotics.
|
Why this matters $200 million is nothing to sneeze at, and should allow the company to greatly expand its offerings to new markets. While delivery robots in restaurants has yet to take off (at least here in the U.S.), the infusion of capital for this company could have a great impact on this sector (in addition to the cleaning and disinfection spaces). |
The company said it has reached markets in the U.S., Europe, South Korea, and Singapore, and plans to build long-term value for the company by exploring new markets, trends, and customers.
“We believe robotic solutions can have a profound impact across the services industry by assisting with repetitive, tedious workflows,” said Kentaro Matsui, managing director at SoftBank Group, and former managing partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers. “Using AI and machine learning, combined with advanced manufacturing capabilities, Keenon is building innovative robotics to help increase productivity for restaurants, hotels, and hospitals in China and globally. We are pleased to partner with Li Tong and the Keenon team to support their mission of driving the smart autonomous delivery revolution.”
The COVID-19 epidemic has significantly changed many aspects of communication, said Maxwell Zhou, member of the founding team and executive general manager of CICC Alpha. “The non-contact economy will become an important development trend in the post-epidemic era,” he said. “With the continuous maturity of positioning and navigation technologies such as SLAM and visual SLAM, commercial service robots represented by food delivery robots will usher in an explosion.”
For more details on Keenon Robotics and its offerings, visit its website here.
