The iRobot co-founder’s new home robot startup hopes to raise $30 million

Colin Angle, co-founder of Roomba maker iRobot, is raising money for a home robotics venture.

A giving Angle’s new company, Familiar Machines & Magic, is seeking to raise $30 million with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. So far, it has raised $15 million from a group of eight investors.

The petition, known as Form D, does not list the sponsors. However, Data Point Capital lists Familiar Machines on its website as one of the VC firm’s portfolio companies.

There are familiar cars domain name and trademark applicationbut not a functional website. Angle did not respond to a request for comment via LinkedIn message.

a final interview Angle told The Boston Globe that Boston-based Familiar Machines, which plans to attend in Los Angeles, will develop a new type of home robot focused on health and wellness. Along with Angle, co-founders include former iRobot CTO Chris Jones and iRobot alumnus Ira Renfrew. Renfrew notably helped create the now-defunct part of Amazon scout delivery bot.

Familiar Machines is exploring robots as companions, including AI-powered “furry pets,” The Globe reported, citing an investor. The company is hiring AI researchers and software engineers, among other roles.

Familiar Machines job description on LinkedIn: “We are pioneering a new home robot category in the health and wellness space with a significant focus on human-robot interaction.” is reading. “Embodied and agentic AI is central to our product vision.”

Angle fell down In January, iRobot collapsed in the face of opposition from EU antitrust regulators after Amazon’s bid to buy the company. iRobot was forced to lay off 31% of its employees, and former Procter & Gamble CEO Gary Cohen was named the company’s new CEO.

Angle has dabbled in home robots before. In the early 2000s, iRobot created a prototype home companion robot called Grommet, according to a report by The Globe.

But cracking the home robot market has proven to be a tough nut to crack.

Backed by Bosch in 2018 Mayfield Robotics against the backdrop of a doubtful future, Kuri stopped production of his robot companion. In the same year, the desktop robot creator for a injury operations. Ankithe company behind the viral robot Cozmo shut down in 2019. And MoxieA maker of artificial intelligence-powered robots for kids shut down last week.

But setbacks don’t deter tech titans. Amazon continues to try to find a suitable robot for its Astro home robot, and Apple is reportedly working on one home robotics in some form.

according to According to Markets and Markets, the segment for household robots could be worth $24.5 billion by 2028. About 1,500 robotics startups raised About $90 billion since 2019 for F-Prime, the venture capital arm of Fidelity Investments.