Standard Bots Raises $200 Million Series C at $1 Billion Valuation to Scale American-Made, AI-Native Industrial Robots

Standard Bots is on pace to deliver 10% of new U.S. industrial robot deployments by next year

NEW YORK, June 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard Bots, America's largest manufacturer of AI-native, industrial robotics, today announced a $200 million Series C led by RoboStrategy and existing investors including General Catalyst at a $1 billion valuation, marking a major milestone for American robotics at a time when U.S. industry is racing to modernize. The company is also expanding its manufacturing footprint in New York, increasing its ability to design, assemble, and deploy American-made robots at scale for customers ranging from Fortune 100 companies to hundreds of SMB manufacturers across the country. Standard Bots was co-founded by Evan Beard, David Golden, and James Cordle.

This expansion comes at a pivotal moment for U.S. manufacturing. Roughly a third of the U.S. economy and a third of American jobs are accounted for by this sector when affiliated suppliers and services are included. For every one manufacturing worker, another five jobs are supported elsewhere in the economy. Manufacturing is how millions of people in this country build a good life.

But for decades, America has shed manufacturing jobs and as a result hollowed out its middle class. We've gone from 20 million manufacturing workers in 1979 to only 13 million today. This is because United States manufacturing is no longer competitive globally. Sourcing from China and other parts of the world is generally 5 to 10 times cheaper. And it's not just because of lower labor costs – it's because of China's national investment in robotics. Last year, China installed nine times more industrial robots than America, and more than the rest of the world combined.

Standard Bots has deployed AI-native, industrial robots to hundreds of American companies in nearly every state – from generational small businesses in the heartland to some of the country's largest manufacturers in oil and gas, automotive, aerospace, and data centers. What they all share is this – and the research shows this – manufacturers become more competitive when they put robots to work. And competitiveness is the key that unlocks company growth, job growth, and wage growth.

Against this backdrop, Standard Bots is expanding its Glen Cove, New York facility to 70,000 square feet to scale its vertically integrated production process amidst rapid growth in demand, and is on pace to deliver 10% of new U.S. industrial robot deployments by next year.

Standard Bots is founded on a simple idea: the biggest opportunity in automation is the massive amount of essential work that robots still can't do. Its robots are designed to be taught through demonstration and observation rather than traditional coding, making advanced automation more accessible across a broader range of industrial tasks and environments, including customers like Sunoco, Lockheed Martin, Amazon, NASA, the U.S. Army, and hundreds of SMB manufacturers.

"AI-native robots are the essential power tool of the 21st century – the tool that will grow American manufacturing and help every worker to be a force at work," said Evan Beard, co-founder, CEO, and Chief Engineer of Standard Bots. "AI will allow industrial robots to do 100x more tasks with full autonomy. You just show your robot how it's done, and it learns through demonstration. The quickest way to get to full autonomy is through deployments, collecting real-world data, and iterating as fast as possible. Standard Bots is the furthest along in that regard with the most vertically integrated, onshore production process, and this new capital just accelerates all of that."

Standard Bots makes AI-native robot arms and industrial humanoids that require no code to program for fast deployment and ease of maintenance across a range of applications including machining, welding, palletizing, grinding, fastening, dispensing, assembly, inspection, and more – all at a lower price point than legacy manufacturers. Standard Bots designs almost all its own parts, including its own actuators, assembles every final product in-house, and by 2027, plans to manufacture everything – from metal in to robots out – right here in America.

Standard Bots is a leading advisor to the White House and Congress on a National Robotics Strategy, including testimony before the Joint Economic Committee and the Subcommittee on Research and Technology. Key policy recommendations include financial support for American manufacturers to invest in robotics, and a ban on Chinese-made industrial robots and robotics components.

"Across our portfolio, we're seeing a clear shift from experimental robotics to systems that can deliver immediate, real-world value," said Andrew Kang, CEO at RoboStrategy (Nasdaq: BOT), an actively managed closed-end fund focused on robotics. "Standard Bots stands out because they've solved one of the hardest problems in industrial automation: making robots that are not only powerful, but actually usable on the factory floor without specialized programming. Their approach to physical AI—teaching robots through demonstration—dramatically expands the range of tasks that can be automated. Combined with their commitment to building and scaling manufacturing in the U.S., we believe Standard Bots is uniquely positioned to define the next generation of industrial robotics."

"The democratization of robotics is no longer a slogan; it's happening on factory floors across America," said Max Rimpel, Partner at General Catalyst. "For years, robotics' potential to bring manufacturing back home has been held back by cost and complexity. Evan and the Standard Bots team are helping remove those barriers, giving manufacturers of all sizes access to automation that was once out of reach. We believe they'll be instrumental in building the next generation of American manufacturing."

"Standard Bots is a critical enabler of American industrial capacity," said Samir Parikh, Managing Partner at GiantLeap Capital. "Its combination of AI-native robotics, domestic manufacturing, and execution at scale positions it to become one of the defining companies of the next generation."

Bal Strategic Partners and Optimal PCA served as strategic advisors for the transaction.

About Standard Bots
Standard Bots is America's largest manufacturer of AI-native industrial robots, trusted by hundreds of customers, from large enterprises like Sunoco, Amazon, Lockheed Martin, NASA, and the U.S. Army to hundreds of SMB manufacturers across nearly every state. The robots are taught through demonstration – not code – enabling fast deployment and easy operation across machining, welding, palletizing, assembly, inspection, and more, at a 30% lower price point than legacy manufacturers. Standard Bots also serves as a leading advisor to the White House and has testified twice to Congress on America's National Robotics Strategy. Headquartered in Glen Cove, New York, Standard Bots is backed by General Catalyst, RoboStrategy, Amazon, Samsung Next, Box Group, and GiantLeap Capital.

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SOURCE Standard Bots