Humanoids aren’t yet ready to replace factory workers, but the industry can’t wait. Manufacturers facing labor shortages are increasingly interested in startups that promise faster automation without the usual compromises.
This is the strategy of Theker, an AI robotics startup that aims to go beyond robots trained for a single task. “If you always have to put the same cookie in the same box, that works perfectly, but most processes don’t,” co-founder Carla Gómez Cano told TechCrunch.
Theker is designed for more complex realities. Unlike humanoid robots designed in a fixed form, such as those at Boston Dynamics, Theker’s machines are built to be reconfigured. Hands, arms, and overall shape can be swapped out or resized depending on the task: sorting packages, packing clothes, or handling bottles and cans in a warehouse.
That Zara’s parent company, Inditex, has signed on as an early sponsor is a sign of where Theker’s ambitions begin, not end. The company’s broader goal is to move beyond retail into heavier industrial environments, such as manufacturing, where the complexity and scale of manual tasks are much greater.
These generalist ambitions have helped Theker establish itself as one of Europe’s notable startups and raise capital accordingly. The Barcelona-based startup just raised $85 million in what it calls “Europe’s largest robotics Series A.” (We haven’t found anything larger in our records either.)
Less than a year after a record-breaking seed round, the Series A was led by US VC firm CRV and received support from a mix of traditional and strategic investors, including Samsung and Aglaé Ventures, the investment vehicle of LVMH Chairman Bernard Arnault.
Gomez Cano said Samsung is not yet a customer, but the two are in advanced discussions. Theker will welcome Korean companies to participate simultaneously as customers, suppliers and investors. These are three factors that provide startups with both profitability and credibility in the large-scale manufacturing sector.
She also noted that she and co-founder Jiaqiang Ye Zhu “didn’t build Theker to run a pilot.” So teams bypass the innovation department entirely and go straight to logistics or operations, where deals are realistic and timelines are shorter.
To prove that the company can actually make this happen, Theker has a showroom in the heart of Barcelona and plans to open others as it expands across Europe, the US and Asia. We also plan to increase our headcount across technology, distribution, and sales.
“We already have 15,000 job applications and we have to filter them like crazy,” Gómez Cano said. After estimating that the team could grow from a few dozen people to up to 120 by the end of the year, she said:
The fact that Theker has doubled its target strengthens the startup’s confidence in keeping its headquarters in Barcelona, a growing robotics hub, and Europe’s tech ecosystem more broadly. “This has never been an obstacle to acceleration for us, so we are making the most of it,” said Gómez Cano.
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