Australian humanoid robotics company Andromeda has raised AU$23 million in Series A funding to accelerate its mission of tackling loneliness through Abi, claimed to be the world’s most emotionally intelligent companion robot.
The round, led by US-based Forerunner Ventures, marks the largest Series A raise led by a woman in Australia this year. It also stands out as majority women-led, attracting high-profile investors, including Forerunner’s Eurie Kim (ŌURA chairperson), Main Sequence’s Alezeia Brown, Rethink Impact’s Heidi Patel and Artesian’s Ananya Sinha. Additional backing came from Artesian, Visible Ventures, Trampoline, Rethink Impact, Main Sequence, and earlier supporters Purpose Ventures and Startmate.
Andromeda co-founder and CEO Grace Brown said the investment will accelerate expansion into the United States, starting with aged care, while scaling engineering and customer support teams in Australia.
“This funding will see us expand into the US, focusing on aged care initially, and in Australia, it means we can fast-track our waitlist and bring Abi’s companionship to more customers and partners,” Ms Brown said. “We’re hiring across engineering, customer success, and creative robotics specialists to support this growth.”
The announcement coincides with the launch of the next-generation Abi, known as Genesis Abi. Designed to support aged care staff, the upgraded robot is fully autonomous, capable of navigating care homes independently, conducting group activities, conversing in multiple languages, and spending one-on-one time with residents. The first deployment will take place this month at a mecwacare aged care facility in Victoria.
“Care teams can direct Abi and set her daily schedule, and she’ll independently deliver companionship to residents. We’ve co-developed Abi with our aged care partners to fill a gap that can’t be solved by more staff alone.”
Grace Brown
Andromeda’s approach is rooted in empathy and emotional intelligence, an ethos shaped by Ms Brown’s own experience of isolation during Melbourne’s COVID-19 lockdowns. Together with co-founder Yan Chen, she has steered the company from research and development through to commercialisation in just a few years.
