Intel Capital, the corporate venturing subsidiary of semiconductor technology producer Intel, has contributed to a $17.5m series B round for US-based autonomous robot developer Bossa Nova Robotics.
Investment firm Paxion led the round, which also featured WRV Capital, Lucas Venture Group and Cota Capital. It brings the total raised by Bossa Nova to $41.7m.
Bossa Nova supplies autonomous service robots for the retail industry that drive through store aisles collecting data about the on-shelf inventory. The robots can provide information about stock levels and help employees locate misplaced items.
The company recently entered into an agreement with Walmart to deploy its robots in 50 of the retailer’s stores. The funding will be used to scale its robots and data services, and to support the expansion of its engineering and commercial teams.
WRV Capital previously led Bossa Nova’s $14m series A round, which closed in April 2016 with participation from undisclosed other investors.
Bruce McWilliams, president and CEO of Bossa Nova, said: “We are ready to scale and are thrilled to have the support of investors who can bolster our financial growth and bring a wealth of expertise in all the areas critical to our success.
“The data Bossa Nova collected from years of real-life operation is the foundation of our best-in-class robots’ performance. We have worked closely with our customers to field test our robots and data services and we are now accelerating our deployment.”