LIFTBOT automates vertical material movement for construction, infrastructure, and energy sites. Source: KEWAZO
KEWAZO, whose LIFTBOT lifting robot is already deployed at more than 20 industrial sites in North America and Europe, today announced a new investment round bringing its total funding to $35 million. The company said it “is building toward becoming the leading robotics and AI provider for heavy industry.”
“Our clients hear about robotics, but they rarely see robots operating at their plants,” stated Artem Kuchukov, KEWAZO co-founder and CEO. “KEWAZO changes that. We help industrial asset owners adopt automation by delivering instant value in vertical material movement, and many clients already ask us to expand into additional workflows.”
KEWAZO, which has locations in Munich and Houston, said LIFTBOT replaces cranes and manual handling, improving safety and enhancing efficiency.
LIFTBOT brings predictability, physical AI to industrial sites
LIFTBOT is in use at refineries, petrochemical plants, chemical complexes, and power facilities, noted KEWAZO. The company added that asset owners and service providers are adopting LIFTBOT to bring greater schedule predictability to maintenance, turnarounds, and capital projects.
KEWAZO said LIFTBOT deployments grant it access to high-barrier industrial environments, enabling the company to collect structured operational data. This forms the foundation of the company’s physical AI platform, which it said is designed to introduce transparency today and enable automation tomorrow.
The new capital will accelerate deployment capacity, expand into additional workflows, and deepen integration within existing customer sites, said KEWAZO.
KEWAZO is collecting data from existing deployments for its physical AI. Source: KEWAZO
Venture capital and energy firms invest in KEWAZO
Schooner Capital led KEWAZO’s latest funding round, which included Chevron Technology Ventures, Asahi Kasei, Benson Capital, Mana Ventures, Gaingels, and Atlas Ventures. Existing investors True Ventures and Cybernetix Ventures also participated.
“Robotics and automation are transforming industrial operations, mirroring the adoption of AI across the economy, said Alexandra Manick, managing director at Schooner Capital. “KEWAZO is perfectly positioned to lead the charge in heavy industry, as evidenced by the team’s technical depth and strong commercial execution.”
“KEWAZO’s approach directly addresses key priorities for the materials industry — enhancing safety, shortening maintenance windows, and applying deep technical expertise to complex physical environments,” added Jeff Chen, managing director at Asahi Kasei Ventures. “We believe innovations like this will ultimately enable the workforce to focus on higher-value efforts.”
“The Gulf Coast has fueled America’s energy leadership for generations, and it is vital to equip this region’s workforce with the most advanced tools available to keep our industrial backbone safe, efficient, and globally competitive,” said George Rovegno, an investment associate at Benson Capital. “KEWAZO is delivering exactly that. They are bringing practical, proven robotics into refineries and petrochemical facilities, and already demonstrating real impact. We’re excited to back a company that isn’t just talking about the future of industrial operations, but actively enabling it across critical infrastructure throughout the Gulf Coast.”
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