Robotics startup Hivebotics, co-founded by Rishab Patwari (Computer Engineering, Class of 2023) and Tuan Dung Nguyen (Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2023), has successfully secured US$6 million in Series A funding.
It plans to use the capital to begin volume production of its autonomous restroom-cleaning robot, Abluo, and expand its operations globally. The funding comes as the sector faces significant pressure from rising wages, persistent labour shortages, and stricter public hygiene standards.
The concept for Abluo originated from a direct industry need. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a cleaning company operator struggled to cope. Recognising that current solutions were ineffective, especially in cramped restrooms, the co-founders spent days cleaning toilets and concocting cleaning solvents.
While Abluo is the company's market entry, its long-term strategy is more ambitious.
“Cleaning is just one of the pillars,” said Rishab. “Our vision is to be the autonomous facilities management provider of the world.” He explained that the company’s five-to-10-year plan involves creating an ecosystem of integrated robots that could manage entire buildings from a remote command centre. "We may not only be building our own robots, but we will be collaborating with other robotics companies to integrate with our ecosystem," he added.
Hivebotics was developed within the entrepreneurial ecosystem at NUS, where the founders participated in CDE's Innovation and Design Programme (iDP), the EDIC Entrepreneur Fellowship, NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC), and the NUS Graduate Research Innovation Programme (GRIP).
Read more here.
See the start of Hivebotics here.
