O-ID, a Tokyo-based firm constructing one of many world’s first absolutely modular humanoid robots for industrial manufacturing and logistics, has raised $1.2 million in pre-seed funding.
The spherical was led by Chicago-based TAWANI Ventures, with participation from Hustle Fund, Techstars, and angel traders – together with the founders of Humanoid Information, who have been early traders in robotics firm 1X.
The corporate will use the funding to maneuver its first robotic from prototype to manufacturing because it prepares to put robots on Japanese manufacturing unit flooring.
As its inhabitants ages, Japan’s workforce is projected to shrink, resulting in a scarcity of over 11 million staff by 2040, with manufacturing unit staff retiring and going unreplaced.
On the identical time, robotics is a nationwide precedence: Japan introduced in June 2026 that it’s focusing on ¥10.5 trillion ($65.1 billion) in private and non-private funding for “bodily AI” (AI that controls robots and equipment), aiming to deploy 10 million AI-equipped robots by 2040.
In the meantime within the US, producers may wish 3.8 million new staff by 2033, and as many as 1.9 million of these jobs might go unfilled if the labor hole isn’t closed.
Present industrial robots are inflexible, and retooling a manufacturing unit round them requires vital capital funding and time.
Common-purpose humanoids are extra versatile, however a single failed part can put the entire robotic out of fee for months. For giant automotive vegetation, as an example, the stakes are steep: an hour of downtime now prices $2.3 million.
O-ID’s robots match right into a manufacturing unit’s present format with no rebuild required, and meet present industrial security requirements for fast deployment.
Their modular structure with hot-swappable joints, limbs, and compute items means a worn half will be changed on-site in minutes.
Onboard AI sensors constantly monitor part put on and flag components approaching failure, permitting O-ID to ship a alternative earlier than downtime happens.
O-ID was based in Tokyo in 2025 by CEO Stian Jakobsen from Norway and CTO Simon Gormuzov from the Netherlands, who met at Waseda College.
Stian beforehand labored in cyber protection, and Simon, a mechanical robotics engineer, spent years in industrial robotics earlier than the 2 determined to construct O-ID collectively.
Jakobsen says: “When sufficient manufacturing unit roles go unfilled directly, total provide chains are in danger. O-ID’s robots are constructed to work alongside the individuals nonetheless on the ground, closing these gaps earlier than they turn out to be a disaster for a single manufacturing unit and for the industries Japan relies on.
O-ID has signed a letter of intent with Sumitomo Electrical Industries, Ltd. to start discussions on the potential utility of Sumitomo Electrical’s applied sciences to humanoid robotic wire harnesses.
William Pritzker, associate at TAWANI Ventures, says: “Japan and Chicago share a sturdy position and historical past as lynchpins of the worldwide manufacturing ecosystem.
“Stian and Simon have impressed us with their skill to work and to innovate inside this house. Modular humanoids are a generational alternative to develop industrial productiveness simply as labor power declines current unprecedented challenges.
“O-ID will lead the switch of a long time of Japanese robotics experience, learnings, and provide chain into an AI-native, adaptable platform.”
Yuki Shirato, managing director at Techstars, says: “I initially chosen Stian and Simon not merely due to their good minds, however as a result of they’re constructing one thing really distinctive.
“O-ID humanoid robots will likely be modular, designed for mass manufacturing and repairs, and made completely in Japan. They’ve made great progress since then, and this fundraise and joint analysis with Japanese producers mark an vital step ahead of their mission of reshaping how we dwell.”
O-ID’s preliminary focus is automotive manufacturing and logistics in Japan, with plans to develop into extra industries and the US market over time. It has additionally filed a provisional US patent for its modular connector expertise.
Constructed and manufactured in Japan, O-ID is designed to satisfy US Nationwide Protection Authorization Act (NDAA) necessities because it seems towards delivery robots to the US.
