Back in June, the team secured €1.25 million in funding from private investors and Horizon Europe. With the additional capital from the European Innovation Council (EIC) – €2.2 million in grants and €2.5 million in co-investment for the next funding round – they are one step closer to achieving their global ambitions.
“Our vision is to become the world leader in no-code industrial robotics. The EIC chose us among the excellent startups because they recognize the potential of our technology, and like us, they believe we can make it happen,” CTO and co-founder Megi Mejdrechová said. Operating in the field of industrial automation, RoboTwin will use the financing to expand its team, further develop technology for easy robot teaching, and accelerate expansion into Europe and the Americas.
Growing demand for robotics requires innovative solutions
From its base in the Czech Republic, RoboTwin is already bringing no-code robotics to manufacturers in Central Europe, the DACH region, the Netherlands, as well as Mexico and Canada. With its patented technology, data, and artificial intelligence, the company’s tools automatically generate production programs for robots such as FANUC, ABB, and YASKAWA.
In industries like painting, grinding, or assembly, this eliminates the need for specialized robot programmers. The solution records a demonstration of a task performed by a worker on the first product, generates a program for the robot, and generalizes it for the rest of the production series. This approach significantly simplifies and speeds up robot programming, particularly for manufacturers of small batches with high product variability.
“The fact that the expert panel selected us among just 4% of successful applicants in the most recent cut-off date proves that the need to innovate European manufacturing – our exact focus – is urgent. We know the market, we see the trend of onshoring, labor shortages, reluctance to work in difficult and dangerous conditions, rising quality demands, and pressure to cut costs. I am thrilled that the EIC shares our vision to address these challenges,” CEO and co-founder Ladislav Dvořák explained.
Budilding deep expertise in robotics, manufacturing, and AI
RoboTwin first presented its technology at the International Engineering Fair in Brno in autumn 2023. Today, the company combines expertise in robotics with deep knowledge of manufacturing and startup ecosystems. Its young team of 17 recently expanded with a software architect and computer vision engineers.
“With the EIC’s support, we can continue building a strong and stable team. We are looking for talent in robotics, data engineering, product development, and application engineering to strengthen our technical development,” Mejdrechová confirmed.
“We are also hiring sales representatives to help to build our distribution network,” David Polák, Head of Sales at RoboTwin, added. “Customers reach out to us not only from Europe but also from Canada, the USA, Taiwan, and Mexico, because for many of them, we are the only option to adopt robotics.”
Professionalism, expertise, and proven traction behind EIC success
The EIC selection process is extremely competitive, evaluating startups primarily for their potential to deliver breakthrough progress in their field, their impact on European and global markets, and the team’s competence to achieve ambitious goals.
The first step to the EIC Accelerator is a so-called short proposal. RoboTwin advanced directly to the second round – submitting a full long proposal – thanks to the support program from the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TAČR). The same program also strengthened their collaboration with ENGEL, one of RoboTwin’s early adopters.
“We had been searching for a way to automate our paint shop, and no solution on the market met our needs. Now, with RoboTwin’s solution, we can robotize our two painting booths with four robots – without a single programmer,” Viktor Hadač, Head of Painting and Welding at ENGEL, said.
The long proposal must include not only technical and business sections but also a financial plan, a three-minute video pitch, and proof of traction via Letters of Intent. After independent expert evaluation, 150 teams out of 959 applicants were invited to present in Brussels. RoboTwin’s three co-founders gave a 10-minute presentation followed by a 35-minute Q&A with the jury.
Companies can submit long proposals on a rolling basis, with evaluations held twice a year. This year’s round was especially competitive, with a 4% success rate compared to the usual 7%. Historically, German and French startups have dominated EIC Accelerator successes, with over 100 supported startups each over the program’s four-year history, while only three Czech companies – including RoboTwin – have been selected.
