13 million euros for cockroaches from Kassel - SWARM Biotactics

The robotics startup SWARM Biotactics has closed a seed financing round of 10 million euros. This brings the company's total capital raised to 13 million euros, including an earlier pre-seed financing. The round was supported by an international consortium, including Vertex Ventures US, Possible Ventures and Capnamic, who had already invested in the early stage. Existing investors also participated again.

The company intends to use the fresh capital to bring its bio-robotic systems from the laboratory into real-life use - initially in pilot projects with security and rescue organizations.

Machines where no machines can go

SWARM Biotactics is developing a new type of robotics: living insects equipped with a sensor backpack that enables navigation, data acquisition and communication in real time. These bio-robotic swarms can move in environments where conventional robots or drones reach their limits. This happens, for example, when buildings collapse, in underground facilities or in politically sensitive zones.

SWARM is building a new generation of robots - biological, intelligent, scalable and capable of operating in extreme environments.

Stefan Wilhelm, CEO Swarm Biotactics

At the heart of the technology is a specially developed backpack that is mounted on insects such as cockroaches and enables control, sensor technology and secure data transmission. The bio-robotic swarms can be coordinated and sent to areas that are difficult to access.

Business model: biological robotics as a platform

The company pursues a platform model that includes both hardware and software. It is aimed at customers from the fields of defense, civil protection, security authorities and industry. The economic focus is on the combination of:

• Provision of biologically integrated robotic units (insect-based platforms with control module)
• Software for swarm control and data evaluation
• Solutions for specific application scenarios in collaboration with government or industrial partners

SWARM is thus positioning itself as a provider of a scalable solution for rapid data acquisition in inaccessible or high-risk environments.

From research to deployment

SWARM now intends to use the newly raised capital to make the transition from research to deployment. Among other things, the company is planning

• Pilot projects in Europe and North America with authorities and organizations for security and disaster protection
• Scaling up production of the specially developed sensor backpacks and control systems
• Establishing international teams in the fields of insect neurobiology, AI, robotics and system integration
• Expansion of the sites in Kassel and San Francisco for research, development and market entry

According to CEO Stefan Wilhelm, the demand for reliable, autonomous solutions in safety-critical areas has increased significantly:

A start-up with safety-relevant potential

Founded in 2024, SWARM Biotactics operates at the interface of biotechnology, robotics and artificial intelligence. The aim is to provide a platform that reacts flexibly to different application scenarios and delivers information where digital systems previously had little access. With 13 million euros in capital and growing international attention, the company is positioning itself as a pioneer in a new category of robotics that could play a decisive role in safety-relevant applications in the future.