Tokyo-based robotics company O-ID has raised $1.2 million in pre-seed funding. The company was founded by two Europeans and is developing a highly modular humanoid robot designed for industrial manufacturing and logistics.

The funding round was led by Chicago-based TAWANI Ventures. Other investors included Hustle Fund, Techstars and several angel investors.

The angel investors included the founders of Humanoid Guide, who were also early investors in robotics company 1X. The new funding will support O-ID as it continues developing its humanoid robotics technology.

According to Jakobsen, the duo came to Japan for different reasons but stayed because they saw an opportunity to build something that matters. “Simon came for robotics; I came to study cybersecurity. We became friends, and we kept talking about how much more these machines could do. We both love this country, and living here makes the workforce challenges very real. At the same time, Japan has incredible engineers and manufacturers, some of whom could both make components for our robots and use them in their factories. We want to bring those things together and build robots here for the world.”

Jakobsen said the company’s broader motivation is tied directly to Japan’s labour shortage: “When enough factory roles go unfilled at once, entire supply chains are at risk. O-ID’s robots are built to work alongside the people still on the floor, closing those gaps before they become a crisis for a single factory and for the industries Japan depends on.”

The new funding will help O-ID move its first humanoid robot from the prototype stage to production as the company prepares to deploy the robots in Japanese factories.