Summer Robotics Raises Series A from Applied Ventures

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Summer Robotics completed the first closing of its Series A financing round led by Applied Ventures, LLC, the venture capital arm of Applied Materials Inc., the company announced Monday.

Participants in the funding round included Solasta Ventures, NAVER D2SF, and other investors.

The company did not disclose financial terms.

Summer Robotics said the funds will be directed toward its Kortx machine vision platform.

The company states that the platform enables robots to operate in dynamic, unstructured environments under varying lighting conditions for manufacturing, logistics, and humanoid applications.

The company appointed Rick Van Valkenburg as Chief Commercial Officer.

Van Valkenburg has 30 years of experience in automation and machine vision, including 28 years at Perceptron Inc. in leadership roles, according to Summer Robotics.

"Our Kortx platform is enabling robotics applications that were not feasible with existing solutions," said Schuyler Cullen, Chief Executive Officer. "This Series A investment validates our vision and allows us to scale faster."

Summer Robotics has announced the launch of pilot programs with automotive manufacturers and is expanding into additional industries that seek automation solutions.

"Summer Robotics' breakthrough technology is set to unlock spatial intelligence for AI to understand the physical world better," said John Wei, Senior Director at Applied Ventures, LLC. "We're excited to support them as they enter their next phase of growth."

Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Campbell, California, Summer Robotics develops automation solutions using its Kortx platform, which combines artificial intelligence, computer vision, and high-speed imaging for robotic applications in unstructured environments.