Covariant Secures $80M to Expand Universal AI for Warehouse Robots
Berkeley-based AI startup Covariant raises an $80 million Series C round to accelerate global expansion and grow its workforce. The funding brings the company's total valuation to $147 million as it deploys its universal robotic manipulation technology across multiple industries.
Berkeley-based AI startup Covariant raises an $80 million Series C round, bringing its total funding to $147 million. The investment is led by existing investor Index Ventures and features participation from Amplify Partners, Radical Ventures, CPPIB, and Temasek. This latest cash injection comes just over a year after the company closed a $40 million Series B, highlighting a dramatic acceleration in market demand for robotic automation during the pandemic.
The company plans to use the new funding to significantly accelerate its global expansion and substantially increase its current headcount of just under 80 people. As part of this growth push, Covariant adds several high-profile executives to its team, including Raghavendra Prabhu as head of Engineering and Research, Ally Lynch as head of Marketing, and Sam Cauthen as head of People.
Central to Covariant's appeal is its flagship product, the Covariant Brain, which serves as a universal AI system for robotic manipulation. The technology currently powers industrial robots across North America, Europe, and Asia to perform complex tasks like order picking, putwall operations, and sorter induction. Customers such as Obeta, Knapp, ABB, and Bastian rely on the platform to manipulate new objects they have never seen before in entirely unfamiliar environments, spanning sectors from grocery and fashion to pharmaceuticals.