THE AUTOMATE STARTUP CHALLENGE
Emerging ideas. Next-gen companies. Rising entrepreneurs in robotics and automation. The chance to win $10,000. See who triumphs on Tuesday, May 13!
THANK YOU TO OUR STARTUP CHALLENGE SPONSORS!
ABOUT THE CHALLENGE
The Automate Startup Challenge spotlights early-stage companies in robotics and automation as they go head-to-head, pitching their technology solution to a panel of industry-expert judges. The finalists will vie for the $10,000 cash prize and the coveted title of Startup Challenge winner. This event is free for all Automate registrants!
Tuesday, May 13 | 3-5 PM ET
Automate Show Theater (Booth 4832)
This Year's 10 Finalists
3 LAWS ROBOTICS
3Laws provides real-time dynamic safety and collision avoidance for robots (manipulators and mobile/legged robots), automobiles, aircraft, and more. We increase throughput by increasing operating speeds and decreasing the number of safety-related interventions. Our software sits between the autonomy stack or human operator and the embedded control system, modifying the robot commands when necessary to prevent constraint violations. Rather than just slowing down or stopping, we are able to react and adjust motion in a safety-critical manner, providing a less conservative and more optimal solution for safety than other currently available approaches. This layer integrates easily and supports a large variety of sensors and compute hardware, including 3D lidars and cameras.
AIRTREK ROBOTICS
Airtrek Robotics develops autonomous systems that help aircraft operators streamline their ground operations, reduce risks, and optimize resources using robotics and AI.
BUCKET ROBOTICS
Bucket Robotics is transforming computer vision for modern manufacturing. Our system enables manufacturers to deploy powerful AI-driven vision models for defect detection, object classification, and more—without the need for in-house ML expertise. By leveraging synthetic data and CAD-based training, we eliminate the costly and time-consuming process of collecting real-world images, enabling rapid, hardware-agnostic deployment. Designed for seamless integration, our edge-friendly, camera-agnostic solutions make advanced computer vision easy to implement, highly reliable, and factory-ready.
DESTRO AI
Destro AI is the App Store for warehouse robotics – an AI-powered orchestration layer that acts as the brain for lights-out warehouse operations.
Modern warehouse workflows require more than just robots—they require intelligent coordination across hardware types. In a world with over 100 humanoid robot companies, 400+ autonomous forklift providers, and 1000+ AMR/AGV platforms, hardware is no longer the differentiator. The key to operational excellence is software orchestration.
Destro AI is a hardware-agnostic AI application platform that translates high-level warehouse workflows into robotic and IoT commands. Our early applications include AMR-based Case & Each Picking and Cross-Docking Automation, with a roadmap toward orchestration for Mobile Manipulators, Palletizing, Unloading, and more.
KAMET.AI
Kamet is an AI-powered platform that keeps automation running smoothly. It detects risks early, calculates potential losses, and provides real-time AI-driven solutions to prevent downtime and inefficiencies. We optimize machines by reducing setup times, eliminating calibration errors, and extending machine lifecycles through a unified dashboard and AI-powered policies. Kamet’s deployment is frictionless—no complex installs and no real-time data required. This enables businesses to scale quickly across multiple machine classes in manufacturing and warehousing. Our design partners include Mitsubishi Electric, Idec, and Chep. With enterprise clients and a $5 million-plus sales pipeline, we help businesses recover lost revenue and maximize automation profitability.
KINISI
Kinisi Robotics builds vertically integrated, AI-native robots that combine software, hardware, and data into one unified system. While others focus on parts, we deliver full-stack solutions built for deployment — not demos. The future of AI is physical — but not all physical intelligence is equal. Instead of chasing sci-fi legged robots, we build wheeled humanoids that are faster, safer, and purpose-built for warehouses and factories. We don’t mimic human biology — we outperform it.
NEXUS INTELLIGENCE
Nexus is building a modern, open platform and developer tools for industrial automation.
ROTATE8
Rotate8 simplifies agricultural automation with low cost, modular, and intuitive technology that empowers farmers. Our automation modules create a Farm as a Robot, seamlessly linking sensors, actuators, and equipment into a single, easy-to-manage dashboard. Our Precision Farming Rover (PFR) offers an affordable, modular tool designed for tasks such as soil prep, seeding, harvest aid, and cultivation. Built for flexibility and repairability, our PFR empowers farmers to customize and maintain their equipment for everyday farming needs. To support our smart, interconnected Farm as a Robot system, we provide solar powered, Wi-Fi connected IoT devices to automate processes such as irrigation, water pumps, gate control, temperature and humidity loops, incubators, and more. These smart devices can be controlled individually or as part of the broader network, optimizing crop care and increasing operational efficiency. By working alongside farm laborers, our systems reduce physical strain while enhancing productivity. In an era of rising costs, labor shortages, and closed technologies, Rotate8 empowers farmers to grow sustainable, healthy food to feed the world.
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SONAIR
Sonair is an award-winning deep tech startup building a breakthrough, patented 3D ultrasonic sensor that enables true machine autonomy by making robots safe, affordable, and efficient. Sonair was spun out from a leading European independent research organization, SINTEF, to exploit deep science-to-tech advancements in ultrasonics and Micro-ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS). Using this technology, the company is delivering a sensor that will transform a robot’s vision from 2D to 3D, offering a significantly improved safety performance over traditional vision systems while cutting costs by 50-80%. The company, based in Oslo, Norway, was founded in 2022 by an experienced team of serial entrepreneurs led by Knut Sandven.
WORKR LABS
Workr Labs turns industrial robots into adaptable co-workers. With our Manufacturing AI platform, robots learn new tasks in minutes—making high-mix, low-volume automation finally practical.
MEET THE JUDGES
Lisa Chai
General Partner, Interwoven Ventures
Oliver Mitchell
Author & Partner, ff Venture Capital
Christi DeCuir
Senior Director, Robotic Strategic Alliances, NVIDIA
Britton Winterrose
Head of Technical BD & AI,Microsoft for Startups
Sean Simpson
Director of Ventures, Newlab
LAST YEAR'S WINNER: SNOWBOTIX
RoboWorkX Inc, DBA SNOWBOTIX, is an OEM of all-electric, all-terrain, and all-season, multi-utility robots to electrify and automate labor-intensive and dangerous outdoor maintenance tasks, including but not limited to nonroad/offroad snow removal, snow grooming, cleaning, power washing, vegetation control, etc. Snowbotix's technology is an industry 4.0 workforce multiplier providing a sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective solution for outdoor maintenance compared to traditional methods. Watch their demo below and learn more at www.snowbotix.com.