Ukrainian Deus Robotics secures $1.5M seed round funding

Deus Robotics, a Ukrainian startup specializing in warehouse robotics engineering and software development, announced that it has raised $1.5 million in seed funding from SMRK VC. The investment will help the company attract new customers in the US and Europe and expand its line of robotic warehouse solutions.

• Deus Robotics was established in 2018 with the aim of changing business processes, assuring faster and better results. The company is dedicated to solving tasks for fulfillment and sorting ops across different industries, including logistics and e-commerce. It aims to minimize the operating costs of manufacturing, construction, and service companies by developing and supplying individual robotic solutions.
• The startup specializes in full-cycle projects, including hardware engineering, software development, and integration, focusing on automating warehouse and logistics operations. Its robots are versatile and can perform various tasks, such as sorting by direction and moving shelves, which are used in pre-sorting tasks, consolidation, and order picking.
• The global logistics industry is ripe for innovation. In the US alone, some 1.5 million workers are employed in the warehouse and storage sector, and the recent analysis from Accenture found that overall, sentiment towards automation was 60% positive. The logistics robotics market is worth $7.5 billion and is expected to grow 40 times by 2042.
• With this new round of funding, Deus Robotics plans to dedicate more resources to address customers need in specialized integrations and invest in R&D capabilities. 

“Deus Robotics is at the forefront of revolutionizing the warehouse industry with innovative solutions that improve the efficiency of logistics operations,”

said Pavlo Pikulin, the CEO of Deus Robotics. 

• Prior to the investment, Deus Robotics produced over 40 robots for parcel sorting and rack transportation for Ukraine’s largest private postal operator, Nova Poshta. This pilot project was planned to launch in a Nova Poshta office in Bila Tserkva, near the capital city of Kyiv. However, the full-scale Russian invasion disrupted the plans, and the company had to temporarily evacuate its equipment and team to Mukachevo, in the Western region of Zakarpattia.
• Deus Robots returned to Kyiv in May after the military defeated the Russians near the capital. Despite the ongoing war, Deus Robots finalized the software and completed the Nova Poshta integration in Bila Tserkva. It increased the peak speed of parcel processing by 200%, compared to manual warehouse operations.
• On the YoY basis, the team has already grown by 25%, and the company has seen a five-fold increase in orders for its robots. During the next stage, Deus Robotics plans to scale manufacturing and is opening a sales office in the USA. According to the company, several high-profile partnership agreements with leading logistics and e-commerce companies have already been signed.

“Deus Robotics’ ability to adapt and thrive in difficult circumstances is proof of the company’s strong leadership and innovative technology. As the company continues to expand and secure partnerships with clients in Europe and the USA, it’s clear that Deus Robotics is poised to make a significant impact on the logistics industry”,

said Vlad Tislenko, partner at SMRK VC.

• SMRK is a Ukrainian VC founded in 2013 focusing on Seed through Series B stages. It provides $500K – $1.5M checks to startups with a clear connection to Ukraine and a high potential to bring positive economic, social, and environmental impact.