Furhat Robotics, a Stockholm, Sweden-based company startup that is putting social intelligence into robotics, raises $2.5m in seed funding.
Backers included Balderton Capital and LocalGlobe. In conjunction with the funding, Balderton partner Daniel Waterhouse joined Furhat’s board.
The company intends to use the funds to engage in commercial partnerships with industry leaders and to recruit engineers and PhDs, as well as business managers to continue the development of the intelligence behind its solutions.
Founded in in 2014 by Samer Al Moubayed, Gabriel Skantze, Jonas Beskow and Preben Wik, Furhat Robotics is an artificial intelligence powered startup is building a conversational operating system to power robots with advanced social skills. Its robot is a machine that mimics human personality, gesture and intonation. Its face uses computer animation and projection to create expression, while its “brain” is built on a social intelligence platform that can be programmed to participate in socially-aware interactions with humans.
Early applications for Furhat include education and training, therapy and social care, customer service, and in entertainment.
A spin-off from Stockholm’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology, the company collaborates with Honda, Intel, Merck, KPMG, and other Fortune 500 companies.
FinSMEs
14/09/2017