Zurich’s mimic Raises $16 Mn to Boost AI-Driven Dexterous Robotics

Zurich-based robotics startup mimic has raised $16 million in seed funding to accelerate the development of its physical AI for robots capable of performing complex industrial tasks.

The funding round, announced on November 3, was led by Elaia and Speedinvest, with participation from Founderful, 1st kind, 10X Founders, 2100 Ventures and Sequoia Scout Fund. The latest investment brings mimic’s total funding to over $20 million.

“Our general-purpose AI models allow us to automate manual labour in a way that simply was not possible before,” said Elvis Nava, co-founder and CTO at mimic. “Thanks to our unique focus on human-like dexterity and human data, we are competitive at both the robot foundation and application layers.”

The funds will be used to advance mimic’s AI models and robotic hands designed to give machines human-like dexterity. The company’s technology is already being tested by major manufacturers, including Fortune 500 firms and automotive brands, as industries seek to tackle labour shortages and reshoring challenges.

Founded in 2024 as a spin-off from ETH Zurich, mimic builds AI-driven robotic systems that learn directly from human demonstrations. Skilled operators wear the company’s proprietary devices during regular factory tasks, allowing mimic’s models to capture detailed movement data without disrupting production. The data trains robots to adapt to changes and autonomously handle disturbances.

Co-founder and CPO Stephan-Daniel Gravert said mimic’s approach “pairs AI-driven dexterous robotic hands with off-the-shelf robot arms to deliver the same capabilities in a simpler and more reliable way.”

The company aims to position itself as a leading European player in a field dominated by the US and China. It says its AI enables robots to perform delicate, variable tasks that traditional machines cannot.

“We make dexterity deployable at scale, closing the gap between what AI can do in the lab and what factories actually need,” said CEO Stefan Weirich. “Europe has the talent, the infrastructure and the demand, and we’re building the company that brings all of this together.”

mimic employs a team of 25 engineers and researchers and has received backing from Switzerland’s federal innovation agency. The company was also selected for the AWS Generative AI Accelerator programme supporting early-stage AI ventures.

Speedinvest general partner Andreas Schwarzenbrunner added, “With mimic, we see a platform that unlocks human-level dexterity with frontier AI and solves billion-dollar problems on factory floors today.”

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