Sereact raises 25M to make robots smart

To capitalize on the incredible commercial traction it has achieved, Sereact today announces that it has raised €25m in funding to further accelerate the deployment of its pioneering Vision Language Action Models (VLAM) to robotics. The Series A round was led by Creandum, alongside significant participation from existing investors Point Nine and Air Street Capital, and prominent business angels, including former Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg, Mehdi Ghissassi (ex-Google DeepMind), Ott Kaukver (Skype), Lars Nordwall (ex-neo4j), Torsten Reil and Niklas Köhler (both Helsing).

Robotics is the next frontier for AI, as improved models and inference enable machines to handle increasingly sophisticated tasks and learn to adapt to their environments without constant customization. For example, robots equipped with advanced AI can seamlessly pick and pack items in e-commerce warehouses, handling fragile or irregularly shaped products. In logistics, they can autonomously sort goods, conduct quality checks, automate inventory management, and optimize workflows, reducing delays. This has huge potential to drive productivity, address labor shortages, and even create new industries.

Sereact has been at the forefront of building embodied AI for robots since its founding in 2021. The company was the first to combine zero-shot visual reasoning, which enables robots to perform tasks they have not been explicitly trained on, with natural language instruction via chat so that non-technical users can operate them on-site. This capability means that Sereact’s AI solution can be deployed by customers within a single day and immediately start delivering cost savings.

“With our technology, robots act situationally rather than following rigidly programmed sequences. They adapt to dynamic tasks in real-time, enabling an unprecedented level of autonomy,” said Ralf Gulde, CEO and co-founder of Sereact.

Starting with warehouse automation, Sereact has experienced rapid commercial adoption with customers including BMW, Daimler Truck, Bol and Active Ants. This real-world deployment of its products creates a real-time data flywheel from which Sereact systems learn to continually improve far beyond systems trained primarily on synthetic data.

“Most AI robotics companies are currently hardware-first. What sets Sereact apart is their software-first, foundational approach which means they have the potential to become the brain of any robot that requires vision and autonomous capabilities. The opportunities here are endless and it’s great to see this kind of innovation coming from Europe,” said Johan Brenner, general partner at Creandum.

Looking Ahead

The new funding will be used to expand R&D efforts to support additional robot hardware platforms, such as mobile robots and humanoids, as well as to develop solutions for more complex tasks beyond logistics and manufacturing. Sereact will also expand its US presence via partnerships and expanding its local team.

"We’re on an exciting journey to become the leading platform for robotics applications that forever changes the daily lives of people and businesses," says Gulde. "This oversubscribed round and our rapid technology progress enables us to democratize robotics and set new standards for autonomous systems in global markets."