Eka Robotics Raises $150 Million at $1.45 Billion Valuation

Eka Robotics raised $150 million in a Series A round that values the robotics startup at $1.45 billion after the investment, according to TechCrunch. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and F-Prime.

Eka combines a force sensitive gripper with a vision force action model trained through reinforcement learning in simulation. The company says its robot can pick up about 1,500 objects weighing up to 1 kilogram per hour, compared with about 600 for a person, with a success rate above 95 percent.

The company is testing the system with industrial customers for pick and place work and wire manipulation. Its gripper costs less than $1,000 and is rated for 5 million cycles, with a target of 20 million cycles.