Trener Robotics (fka T-Robotics), a San Francisco, CA- and Trondheim, Norway-based developer of an AI robot skills platform for manufacturing, has raised $32 million in a Series A funding round led by Engine Ventures and IAG Capital Partners.
The round also saw participation from strategic investors Cadence and Geodesic Capital, through Nikon’s NFocus Fund.
The funding round increased the total to $38 million.
Read More:ManageMy Raises $45M in Funding
The company plans to use the funds to accelerate T-Labs’ R&D, build new skills, hire global talent, expand into new markets and forge partnerships.
Trener Robotics (formerly T-Robotics) develops an AI robot skills platform for manufacturing. Its Acteris platform is robot-agnostic and allows operators to describe tasks in their own words rather than rigid coding, turning natural language into executable automation. Using physical AI to handle vision, language, and movement, Acteris adapts in real-time to changing parts and unstructured production environments.
Trained on visual, touch, language, and movement data, Acteris allows industrial robots to self-learn and perform effectively in complex production settings. Manufacturers using the platform benefit from:
- An interactive interface that lets users program robots through natural conversation, intuitive task sequences, and detailed simulation, making it easy for anyone to create safe, high performance applications.
- Vision-based part identification and handling, even in challenging conditions.
- Optimized robot movements that adapt to changes with exceptional reliability.
- Smart collision avoidance and safety features that behave like common sense.
- Real-time dashboards for monitoring production performance.
“For decades, industrial robots have been limited to repetitive, single-purpose tasks in highly controlled settings,” said Dr. Asad Tirmizi, Co-Founder and CEO of Trener Robotics. “We’re changing that by turning robots into intelligent, adaptable teammates, replacing rigid programming with a system that supports a growing library of production-ready skills. Our platform gives systems integrators and OEMs the tools to deploy and manage robots across a wide range of industrial environments.”
The involvement of Cadence and Nikon highlights the growing importance of self learning systems in factory automation. Nikon brings advanced vision and precision expertise while Cadence adds compute, simulation and system design support. Together they strengthen Trener Robotics’ goal of becoming the core intelligence layer for next generation software-defined robotics.
The market for flexible, adaptable automation is growing at 14.3% annually, fueled by labour shortages, demand for varied production and rising costs, pushing manufacturers toward solutions with quick ROI. “Industrial automation is at a turning point, and Trener Robotics is well-positioned as a platform that manufacturers of all sizes can use, offering a repeatable way to expand beyond CNC machine tending. This is exactly what small and mid-sized companies need to stay competitive as AI reshapes manufacturing,” said Dennis Sacha, Partner at IAG Capital Partners.
Last fall, Trener Robotics won the Machine Tool Innovation Award, at EMO Hannover for its AI driven robotics approach, moving beyond code heavy programming to robots that learn and adapt like humans. In late 2024, it also won the ABB AI Startup Challenge recognized for innovation in natural language programming skill learning and autonomous decision-making.
In 2025, Trener Robotics gained strong momentum, partnering with over 15 integration and solution partners in Europe and the U.S., and connecting top robot brands like ABB, Universal Robots and FANUC to Acteris.
“When we co-led Trener Robotics’ seed round, we recognized a team with a clear vision to tackle one of automation’s biggest challenges,” said Reed Sturtevant, General Partner at Engine Ventures. “Their execution and rapid growth have been impressive, positioning Acteris as the intelligence layer for physical automation and enabling scale through partner-led distribution.”
About Trener Robotics
Trener Robotics founded in 2024 by CEO Dr. Asad Tirmizi and CTO Dr. Lars Tingelstad, is transforming robotics with AI-powered programming and pre-trained skill models that let robots think, adapt and perform complex tasks easily. Headquartered in San Francisco and Trondheim, the team includes veterans from companies like Universal Robots, ABB, Google, KUKA, and TikTok. Tirmizi and Tingelstad bring over 20 years of experience, with deep expertise in robot software, control systems, and advanced manufacturing.
Read More:Simple AI Raises $14M in Seed Funding
