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iRobot co-founder’s new home robot startup hopes to raise $30M
Colin Angle, one of the co-founders of Roomba maker iRobot, is attempting to raise a significant amount of capital for his new venture, Familiar Machines & Magic. According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company aims to secure $30 million in funding.
So far, the startup has reportedly raised $15 million from eight investors, although the names of these backers remain undisclosed at this time. Familiar Machines has acquired a domain name but does not have an operational website yet.
In his recent interview with The Boston Globe, Angle shared that Familiar Machines will focus on developing a new type of home robot centered around health and wellness. Joining him in this endeavor are co-founders Chris Jones, former iRobot Chief Technology Officer, and Ira Renfrew, a former employee at iRobot.
The startup is also exploring the possibility of creating robots that serve as companions to humans, potentially even AI-powered “pets.” As part of its efforts, Familiar Machines is actively hiring for various positions including AI researchers and software engineers.
Angle’s exit from iRobot occurred in January following Amazon’s failed attempt to acquire the company. The subsequent layoff of 31% of its staff led to Gary Cohen being appointed as the new CEO.
Interestingly, Angle has a history with home robots having previously developed a prototype called Grommet in the early 2000s during his time at iRobot. However, past attempts at creating home robots have proven difficult, with previous ventures such as Mayfield Robotics’ Kuri robot companion failing to gain traction and others like Jibo and Anki’s Cozmo ultimately winding down their operations.
Despite this challenging history, Angle seems undeterred in his latest endeavor. His competitors may also be taking notice of the advancements being made in artificial intelligence, with Tesla offering Supercharging for its Model S at a catch and Google working on AI-powered robots.
It will be interesting to observe how Familiar Machines navigates the challenges faced by previous home robot startups and whether it can achieve the elusive goal of successfully popularizing these devices in mainstream households.
Source: techcrunch.com
