WiBotic CEO Ben Waters (Ph.D. ’15)
WiBotic, the technology company developing wirelessly-powered drones and robotic devices, has secured $2.5 million. This new funding round will bring the company to a total of $3.25 million in funding. This support will enhance product development and boost sales and marketing.
The company was founded by WiBotic CEO and UW Department of Electrical Engineering (UW EE) alum Ben Waters (Ph.D. ’15) and UW EE and UW Allen School Professor Joshua Smith when Waters was a graduate student in the department. WiBotic currently delivers wireless robotics to companies in variety of fields for large-scale societal impact. Even though it is only 2-years-old, the ten-person company has already seen several significant milestones.
WiBotic customers are utilizing the product to deliver medical supplies in developing nations, reduce excess water usage in agriculture, strengthen safe extraction of offshore oil and gas, monitor contamination levels in the ocean and respond to emergency situations more quickly. In November, WiBotic was named a “GeekWire Seattle Top Ten” as one of the most promising new startups in the region. Waters was named a Puget Sound Business Journal “40 Under 40” for his entrepreneurial energy and passion for innovation.
“For two and a half years we have been developing innovative solutions for the robotics industry and I’m excited that several prestigious new investors are joining our team,” said Waters in a recent press release. “We look forward to the expertise and strategic thinking these firms will add to our strong team as we continue to provide critical infrastructure for robotic applications worldwide.”
WiBotic’s investment partners include Tsing Capital (the leader of the company’s recent investment round), Comet Labs, Digi Labs, and follow-on investors W Fund, WRF Capital and Wisemont Capital.
“The robotics industry has an intense need for the wireless power and battery intelligence solutions that WiBotic has built,” said Michael Li, managing partner of Tsing Capital in the press release. “WiBotic has been gaining strong traction in several industries and we see immense growth potential as the global robotics industry soars.” Tsing Capital is China’s leading fund management company, which is dedicated to sustainable technology in China and globally.
In addition to the new investment, WiBotic also announced the company’s move to a new state-of-the-art engineering and testing facility at the University of Washington’s CoMotion Labs. At the lab’s incubator program headquarters, WiBotic will continue to expand upon its core technology in a collaborative research hub.
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