Europe’s robotics investment scene is entering a renaissance moment. According to PitchBook, just over €1 billion has already been invested across 84 deals this year - putting 2025 on track to surpass the €1.4 billion peak of 2021. What’s emerging is an important shift in VC focus — from purely software-driven ventures to hardware-based innovations solving real-world problems.
The convergence of AI and robotics lies at the heart of this transformation. While global AI funding remains immense (an estimated $40 billion in Q2 2025 alone, or nearly 45% of all global funding), AI’s role is evolving. It’s increasingly seen as an enabling technology, the new backbone of deep tech innovation. This productive merger is seen in many industries across Europe - hospitals are embracing surgical and assistive robots (UK’s CMR Surgical raised $200 million in April), logistics is another hotspot for automation (Germany’s Sereact secured €25 million to fully automate pick-and-place processes) as well as defense - premier frontier for robotics usage (such as Munich-based ARX Robotics landing €31 million to develop unmanned ground systems).
Beyond individual deals, this momentum is creating regional clusters of excellence — from Munich’s robotics hub and London’s AI corridor to Stockholm’s automation cluster. Government backing is amplifying the trend: the EU’s Horizon Europe program alone earmarked €180 million for breakthrough technologies, including robotics.
A growing number of venture funds are doubling down on robotics startups, recognizing that this new wave of intelligent machines isn’t just about automation, but also about actually building the physical infrastructures.
Vestbee has compiled a list of European VC funds actively investing in robotics, spanning early-stage deep tech specialists to growth-focused investors.
360 Capital
HQ: Paris, France
Stage: pre-seed to Series A/B
360 Capital is a Pan-European early-stage VC firm, based in Paris and Milan, focused on deeptech, climate tech, and digital solutions. With over €500 million in assets under management, it invests €150,000 to €2 million at pre-seed and seed stages, and €2 million to €10 million at Series A/B. 360 Capital has backed over 150 startups, with a recent focus on tech-heavy sectors like robotics, spacetech, and climate tech, including energy storage and waste recycling.
C4 Ventures
HQ: Paris, France
Stage: early stages
C4 Ventures is a European venture capital firm led by former tech operators from Apple and Microsoft, focused on backing founders building AI and deep tech companies. The firm invests in both software and Physical AI (robotics, autonomous systems, quantum computing, and AI semiconductors), leveraging operational expertise to help startups scale globally. Typical investments range from €2–5M, with lead or co-investor positions and board or observer seats. Their newly launched €100M C4 Ventures III fund focuses on early-stage AI and deep tech startups across Europe.
Cambridge Innovation Capital
HQ: Cambridge, the UK
Stage: from seed to growth
Cambridge Innovation Capital is a venture capital firm deeply integrated into the Cambridge science and technology ecosystem, holding exclusive access to spinouts from the University of Cambridge. Established in 2014, CIC specializes in bringing groundbreaking research to market across life sciences and deeptech sectors, with investments spanning cancer therapeutics, genomic diagnostics, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and surgical robotics. The firm manages both early-stage (seed and Series A) and growth-stage funds, enabling companies to progress from early commercialisation of research through to large-scale expansion.
Capnamic
HQ: Cologne, Germany
Stage: pre-seed to Series A
This German VC is focused on helping early-stage tech startups turn ideas into global category-defining companies. The firm invests primarily in the German-speaking region but will consider opportunities elsewhere with strong conviction. With €350M under management and portfolio companies raising €900M in total, the firm has a strong track record of scaling startups from seed to IPO. Capnamic Ventures invests broadly in technology-driven startups, focusing particularly on software, digital platforms, and deep tech innovations. This includes hardware-enabled solutions that intersect with software, such as industrial automation, IoT devices, and smart manufacturing tools.
Cherry Ventures
HQ: Berlin, Germany
Stage: pre-seed, seed
Cherry Ventures deploys capital early, often before a product or revenue exists, and has backed over 130 European startups. The firm manages multiple funds, with its latest vehicle Cherry IV at €320M, and reserves over 50% of capital for follow-ons to keep supporting breakout companies. Cherry is industry-agnostic but active in frontier tech, robotics, space, climate, SaaS, and AI-driven infrastructure.
Cybernetix Ventures
HQ: Boston, USA (investing in Europe)
Stage: pre-seed, seed, Series A
Cybernetix Ventures is a specialist fund investing exclusively in robotics, automation and industrial AI, with a geographic focus on North America and Europe. The firm backs early-stage companies across autonomy, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity for robotics, sensing and cloud infrastructure. The team includes founders and executives from MassRobotics, Analog Devices and iRobot, supported by a network of corporate partners and acquirers from the robotics industry.
Earlybird
HQ: Berlin, Germany
Stage: early stages
Earlybird is one of Europe’s leading venture capital firms, supporting technology-driven innovation across all stages of startup growth. It offers more than funding - providing strategic guidance, global connections, and access to key markets. Operating through four independent teams, Earlybird invests across regions and sectors, from early-stage digital tech in Western Europe to ICT in Eastern Europe, healthcare, and deeptech. Its dedicated deeptech fund, Earlybird-X, focuses on pioneering ventures in robotics, AI, and mobility.
First Momentum
HQ: Germany
Stage: pre-seed
The specialized fund invests €0.25–1.5M as a lead or co-investor in highly technical B2B startups across industrial tech, compute infrastructure, deep tech, aerospace, AI/ML and climate/energy. Founded in 2015 with a focus on pre-seed, the team is composed of engineers and scientists and positions itself as a technical-first investor, capable of evaluating complex hardware and software architectures.
Hard2beat
HQ: Wrocław, Poland
Stage: pre-seed and seed
Hard2beat is a deeptech-focused Polish VC fund investing in software-driven and hardware-enabled startups with strong technical defensibility and early proof-of-concept. The fund exclusively targets founders with a clear technological moat, avoiding generic SaaS, B2C and marketplace models, and requires startups to operate in or allocate capital to Poland. It offers tickets up to 3M PLN, with follow-on up to 5M PLN. Hard2beat also actively produces sector insights, including analyses on emerging robotics trends and dual-use tech.
HV Capital
HQ: Berlin & Munich, Germany
Stage: seed to growth
With over €2.8B in assets under management and more than 20 years of experience, HV Capital is one of Europe’s most established all-stage venture capital firms. The fund deploys €0.5–10M at early stage, up to €60M at growth stage, and can commit more than €100M per company through follow-ons and its Continuation Fund HV COCO Growth - the first of its kind in the German tech ecosystem. The fund invests in sectors that include consumer internet, B2B SaaS, logistics, AI, fintech, blockchain, healthtech, and industrial software.
Innovation Industries
HQ: Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Stage: early stages
Innovation Industries is a venture capital firm dedicated to advancing next-generation deeptech, investing in companies developing transformative technologies across areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics, genetics, and photonics - industries positioned for rapid global growth. It focuses on ventures with distinctive, defensible intellectual property and strong technological foundations, with the ambition of shaping future market leaders. Its investment strategy aligns with pressing global priorities, including the energy transition, carbon reduction, resource efficiency, health innovation, sustainable food systems, and resilient infrastructure.
IQ Capital
HQ: Cambridge, UK
Stage: pre-seed to Series A
IQ Capital is a deeptech-focused venture capital firm investing in transformative technologies across computer science, energy, life sciences, fintech, space, and advanced engineering. Over the past three years, it has made more than 30 new investments and is now deploying its fourth fund, with initial investments ranging from £500,000 to £10 million per company. The firm targets groundbreaking innovations in areas such as generative AI, quantum hardware, cybersecurity, space tech, advanced engineering, and synthetic biology. IQ Capital primarily backs Seed and Series A startups with strong intellectual property, providing follow-on investments of up to £30 million through its Growth Fund.
Jolt Capital
HQ: Paris, France
Stage: growth
Jolt Capital is a Paris-based private equity firm investing in mid-sized deeptech companies across software and hardware sectors, including AI, robotics, sensors, and cybersecurity. The firm provides growth capital to support market expansion, acquisitions, and value creation, while actively helping manage scaling challenges. Jolt focuses on companies with €10–50 million in revenue, combining financial backing with strategic expertise to accelerate sustainable growth.
Matterwave Ventures
HQ: Munich, Germany
Stage: seed & Series A
Matterwave Ventures manages €250M in assets and invests across Europe with initial tickets between €1M and €4M. The fund focuses on industrial tech, deep tech, and climate tech with an emphasis on hardware and software that modernize industrial value chains. Its portfolio includes companies in space infrastructure, quantum computing, optical processors, advanced materials, and supply chain visibility.
Merantix Capital
HQ: Berlin, Germany
Stage: pre-seed and seed
Merantix Capital invests in visionary founders creating AI-native companies that translate advanced research into real-world impact. The firm typically invests between €500,000 and €4 million, focusing on teams with strong domain expertise, sharp market insight, and truly differentiated technology. Its portfolio spans areas such as robotics, next-generation fintech, industrial AI, neuroscience, AI-driven security, and automated research through cloud lab platforms.
Momenta
HQ: Lucerne, Switzerland
Stage: early-stage (seed, Series A) with follow-on support
Momenta manages over $100M in assets with 165 investments, 63 active portfolio companies and 19 exits, focusing on digital industry technologies across energy, manufacturing, smart spaces and supply chains. The firm positions itself as an “Industrial Impact” investor, backing founders developing proprietary industrial and deeptech solutions.
Molten Ventures
HQ: London, UK
Stage: series A and above
Molten Ventures, with offices in London, Cambridge, and Dublin, invests primarily in Series A and later-stage rounds, backing companies addressing major technological challenges across multiple sectors. Its latest fund continues the firm’s strategy of identifying and supporting Europe’s emerging tech leaders in areas such as deeptech, hardware, software, healthcare, and consumer technology.
Octopus Ventures
HQ: London, UK
Stage: from pre-seed and series
Octopus Ventures is a pan-European venture capital firm with strong roots in the UK and the US, taking a global approach to investing. It backs companies from pre-seed through Series A and later stages, with a particular focus on pioneering deeptech innovations. The firm’s pre-seed investments often begin before product development, averaging around £100,000, while seed and Series A rounds typically start at £1 million. In deeptech, Octopus Ventures focuses on startups building technologies that will drive the next industrial revolution - including quantum computing, robotics, drones, and human sensory augmentation.
Plural
HQ: London, UK
Stage: early stages
Plural backs ambitious founders tackling non-obvious, hard problems with the potential for GDP-level impact in Europe. Founded by seasoned operators, the firm provides deep, hands-on support, leveraging first-hand experience in scaling, fundraising, regulatory navigation, M&A, and policy influence. Plural invests only in companies it would have considered co-founding, taking big risks with a tiny, focused portfolio of 2–3 startups per partner each year.
Polytechnique Ventures
HQ: Paris, France
Stage: pre-seed, seed, and Series A
Polytechnique Ventures is the venture capital fund of École Polytechnique, supporting startups founded by alumni, originating from X laboratories, or incubated within the School. The fund typically invests with tickets of €100k to €2M. It targets a wide range of industries, including deeptech, digital, healthcare, energy, and advanced materials. Its mission is to back ambitious and innovative projects addressing future economic and societal challenges.
Promus Ventures
HQ: Luxembourg
Stage: from pre-seed to Series B
Promus Ventures is a global venture capital firm backing early-stage deeptech startups in the U.S. and Europe. Operating from Chicago, San Francisco, and Luxembourg, it partners with founders using breakthrough technologies to transform traditional industries. The firm takes an active investment role, often leading rounds, joining boards, and guiding startups through growth. In 2020, Promus Ventures launched Orbital Ventures, a €120 million fund dedicated to early-stage space technology, reinforcing its focus on sectors such as space tech, automation, AI, and robotics.
Supernova Invest
HQ: Paris, France
Stage: all stages, from seed to growth
Supernova Invest, founded in 2017 by Amundi and the French CEA, is a European deeptech VC with over 20 years of founding-team experience. The firm has backed more than 70 portfolio companies and completed over 30 trade exits. It invests across Industrial Technologies (advanced manufacturing, microelectronics, quantum computing, space tech), Healthcare (medtech, diagnostics), Digital (cybersecurity, data & AI, vertical software), and Cleantech (agtech, energy storage, waste & recycling).
UVC Partners
HQ: Berlin, Germany
Stage: early stages
UVC Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm headquartered in Munich and Berlin, investing in European B2B startups across deeptech, enterprise software, industrial technologies, and mobility. The firm typically invests between €500,000 and €4 million in seed and Series A rounds, with total commitments reaching up to €15 million per company. With over €400 million in assets under management, UVC Partners combines hands-on support with access to a strong corporate and technical network. Its close connection to UnternehmerTUM provides direct access to leading talent and research from the Technical University of Munich.
Verve Ventures
HQ: Zurich, Switzerland
Stage: seed to Series A
The fund has already invested in over 150 deeptech startups across Europe with an annual deployment of €60–70M, placing it among the most active early-stage investors on the continent. The firm invests across energy & resources, the future of computing, and health & bio. Across the industrial technology vertical, it offers ticket sizes of €750K–1.5M, with specific interest in robotics and automation, industrial connectivity and data analytics, and advanced manufacturing. The Industrial Tech team is composed of engineers and scientists and regularly co-invests alongside specialist industrial funds and strategic corporates across Europe.
Vsquared Ventures
HQ: Munich, Germany
Stage: from pre-seed to early growth
Vsquared Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in deeptech startups tackling some of society’s most pressing challenges. Its focus spans quantum and next-generation computing, sustainable energy, robotics, AI and machine learning, space technologies, synthetic biology, and healthcare innovation. The team, composed of founders, academics, and experienced operators, has supported over 30 companies, building one of Europe’s strongest deeptech portfolios.
