A Spanish startup building AI-powered robots for factories and industrial settings has pulled off one of Europe's most notable venture rounds of the year. Barcelona-based Theker has raised $85 million in what Tech.eu reports is the largest robotics Series A round ever completed in Europe.
The round was led by US venture capital firm CRV, according to Reuters. The investor lineup also includes tech giant Samsung and luxury conglomerate LVMH — an unusual pairing that signals broad industrial appetite for AI-driven automation across very different sectors.
Theker focuses on robots designed for industrial environments, where demand for automation has surged as manufacturers seek to reduce labor costs and improve precision. The company's Barcelona base puts it at the center of a growing Southern European tech scene that has been quietly producing serious venture-backed companies.
The presence of LVMH — the parent company of brands like Louis Vuitton and Dior — among the backers hints at potential applications in high-end manufacturing and logistics, where precision and consistency are critical. Samsung's involvement points toward broader electronics and supply chain use cases.
The deal matters because it demonstrates that European deep-tech startups can attract major US and multinational capital for capital-intensive hardware bets, and that industrial AI robotics is no longer a niche — it's a race.