Mimic Robotics receives CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick to build embodied intelligence
20.02.2025
Addressing the limitations of traditional robotic systems, Mimic Robotics is creating dexterous robotic manipulators for human environments. Using scalable AI models trained on large-scale human video data, the ETH spin-off equips robots to perform complex tasks with minimal fine-tuning. The startup received CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick, winning the third stage of the program.
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Conventional robotic grippers are built for specific, repetitive tasks and struggle with versatility. Their programming requires significant time and expertise, making them impractical for dynamic environments where robots must adapt to human-designed tools and workflows. These constraints have limited automation in industries facing labor shortages and high operational variability.
Mimic Robotics addresses this challenge with a universal robotic manipulator powered by scalable AI models. By learning from human demonstrations, the company’s robots can generalize across diverse tasks, reducing the need for manual programming. Designed to manage both delicate and demanding applications, their hardware bridges the gap between human dexterity and robotic precision, providing a flexible and intuitive solution for industries seeking practical automation.
With its solution, mimic aims to serve the market of stationary manual labor across retail, logistics, and manufacturing valued at more than CHF 60 billion in Europe only. These sectors face severe labor shortages, with many tasks being tedious and repetitive for workers. Initial industrial projects are already underway, with the first deployments set for later this year.
Mimic will use the CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick to further strengthen its business development team, IP portfolio, and marketing efforts.
Founded in 2024 as a spin-off from ETH Zurich’s Soft Robotics Lab, Mimic Robotics brings together AI researchers, engineers, and business experts. Led by Stefan Weirich, Elvis Nava, Stephan-Daniel Gravert, Benedek Forrai, and Prof. Robert Katzschmann, the team is developing a humanoid robotic hand driven by a robotic transformer model to tackle complex manipulation tasks.
“The Venture Kick process has been a truly rewarding journey, helping us professionalize key parts of our business when we needed it,” highlighted Stephan-Daniel Gravert, mimic’s CCO.
Mimic's founders from left to right: Stefan Weirich, Elvis Nava, Stephan-Daniel Gravert, Robert Katzschmann, and Benedek Forrai
Mimic Robotics addresses this challenge with a universal robotic manipulator powered by scalable AI models. By learning from human demonstrations, the company’s robots can generalize across diverse tasks, reducing the need for manual programming. Designed to manage both delicate and demanding applications, their hardware bridges the gap between human dexterity and robotic precision, providing a flexible and intuitive solution for industries seeking practical automation.
With its solution, mimic aims to serve the market of stationary manual labor across retail, logistics, and manufacturing valued at more than CHF 60 billion in Europe only. These sectors face severe labor shortages, with many tasks being tedious and repetitive for workers. Initial industrial projects are already underway, with the first deployments set for later this year.
Mimic will use the CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick to further strengthen its business development team, IP portfolio, and marketing efforts.
Founded in 2024 as a spin-off from ETH Zurich’s Soft Robotics Lab, Mimic Robotics brings together AI researchers, engineers, and business experts. Led by Stefan Weirich, Elvis Nava, Stephan-Daniel Gravert, Benedek Forrai, and Prof. Robert Katzschmann, the team is developing a humanoid robotic hand driven by a robotic transformer model to tackle complex manipulation tasks.
“The Venture Kick process has been a truly rewarding journey, helping us professionalize key parts of our business when we needed it,” highlighted Stephan-Daniel Gravert, mimic’s CCO.
Mimic's founders from left to right: Stefan Weirich, Elvis Nava, Stephan-Daniel Gravert, Robert Katzschmann, and Benedek Forrai