ABAB Pedia

Collaborative Robotics

Collaborative Robotics, or Cobot, develops Proxie mobile robots and related software for workplace material handling.

Contents13 sections
Key facts

Formation

Brad Porter and Steph Tryphonas co-founded the company in 2022.⁠[1]

Initial Financing

Initial Approach

In his 2022 founding essay, Porter identified labor shortages and deployment costs as starting points, arguing that robots should adapt to existing workplaces. These were the company’s stated goals.⁠[3]

Series A

In July 2023, Cobot announced a $30 million Series A led by Sequoia Capital and launched its Flywheel Program to advise organizations on automation. Mayo Clinic was both a customer and investor, a financial relationship relevant to its endorsement.⁠[4]

Series B

In April 2024, the company announced a $100 million Series B led by General Catalyst, taking disclosed funding above $140 million. It said initial robots had entered the field earlier that year. The round total was not one investor’s individual contribution.⁠[5]

Design Approach

In 2024, TechCrunch described the company’s approach as emphasizing human–robot collaboration and deployment costs rather than reproducing the human form.⁠[6]

Seattle Research Team

In June 2024, the company opened a Seattle office, appointed Michael Vogelsong to lead foundation-model research and supported related University of Washington work. A robot was already operating at a regional logistics transload facility.⁠[7]

Proxie Launch

In November 2024, Cobot publicly introduced Proxie for moving materials and carts. Its announcement named Maersk, Moderna and hospitals among early users; the customer list was company-reported.⁠[8]

Deployed

In March 2026, CEO Brad Porter announced Deployed, a podcast featuring operators, engineers and investors working on robotics and physical AI. Jeff Wilke was its first guest.⁠[9]

As of October 2026: Product Range

By October 2026, the website described Gen 2 Proxie’s two-arm picking, placement and restocking capabilities; that description does not establish a launch date.⁠[10]

Software: Operations and Facilities

Cobot describes Vista as software for assigning robot tasks and coordinating fleets, while ScoutMap maps facilities and assesses automation readiness. Deployment-speed and cost-saving assertions remain company product claims.⁠[11]

Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts

Collaborative Robotics: Official website: https://www.co.bot/ (opens in a new window)⁠[12]

Sources

  1. Collaborative Robotics - Robots that react to you. (opens in a new window)
  2. Former Amazon Robotics Vice President and Scale AI CTO Brad Porter Raises $10M to Launch Collaborative Robotics (opens in a new window)
  3. The Starting Point (opens in a new window)
  4. Collaborative Robotics Raises $30M Series A Backed by Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures and Mayo Clinic; Launches Flywheel Program (opens in a new window)
  5. Collaborative Robotics Raises $100 Million in Series B Funding (opens in a new window)
  6. Collaborative Robotics is prioritizing ‘human problem solving’ over humanoid forms (opens in a new window)
  7. Collaborative Robotics hires a former Amazon AI leader, opens Seattle office after $100M round (opens in a new window)
  8. Introducing Proxie: Cobot’s Collaborative Robot Built for the Real World (opens in a new window)
  9. Introducing Deployed: A New Podcast About Physical AI, Robotics, and What Actually Ships (opens in a new window)
  10. Proxie (opens in a new window)
  11. Physical AI (opens in a new window)
  12. Contact (opens in a new window)
  13. Cobot (@CobotCorp) (opens in a new window)
  14. Cobot (opens in a new window)
  15. Cobot (opens in a new window)