Robotics startup AICA secures CHF 1.2 million in seed round

AICA was founded in 2019 by Dr. Baptiste Busch, Dr. Enrico Eberhard, Fabien Antonatos, and Prof. Dr. Aude Billard of the EPFL's Learning Algorithms & Systems Laboratory (LASA). The startup's goal is to make the programming and implementation of automated systems more accessible and efficient and is thus meeting a growing demand for smarter and more agile forms of automated production processes by combining reinforcement learning and close-loop force control, which gives robots a sense of touch and the ability to learn and adapt autonomously to changes.

AICA's solution addresses the high cost of local production, which often leads to the outsourcing of some automated production processes. AICA's solution empowers SMEs to automate redundant, dangerous, and non-value-adding parts of their manufacturing lines. Aside from allowing human labor to focus on productive activities, according to the startup, it also enables manufacturers to implement in-house production processes for better control over their value chain.

With the CHF 1.2 million raised in this seed round from Spicehaus Partners, High-Tech Gründerfonds, and Schaeffler Group, the startup will expand its application library and bring its software into production in this year. Currently active in Switzerland and Germany, the startup's primary customers are in the automotive industries. AICA plans to expand in other regions and market segments (medtech and food processing).

"AICA is thrilled with the support and confidence shown by our investors, which enables us to deploy our technology in Europe and beyond," said Baptiste Busch, co-founder & CEO of AICA. "We aim to empower a greater number of companies by making robotics more accessible and intelligent."

In 2020, AICA was awarded CHF 50,000 by Venture Kick, making it into the second round of the competitive program. "Before Venture Kick, AICA had little industrial knowledge and was mainly focused on research and consulting," said Fabien Antonatos, AICA's co-founder and CBDO. "Thanks to this support, the startup has been able to switch its focus and become a real industrial company. In other words, our team has been able to focus on the development of our technology and our client portfolio, to bring our solution to the market."


AICA's team (from left to right): Fabien Antonatos, Alexia Lechot, Dr. Enrico Eberhard, Dr. Baptiste Busch, Prof. Aude Billard and Dominic Reber.