“Supply chains are at risk”: O-ID raises $1.2m for modular humanoid robots

The company contrasts this with existing industrial robots, which it describes as rigid and costly to build a factory around. It says a single failed component can put a general-purpose humanoid out of commission for months.

For large automotive plants, an hour of downtime now costs $2.3m, Newsweek reported in July.

O-ID has filed a provisional US patent for its modular connector technology.

It has also signed a letter of intent with Sumitomo Electric Industries. The two companies will begin discussions on the potential use of Sumitomo Electric’s technologies in wire harnesses for humanoid robots.

Two founders who met at Waseda

Jakobsen, who is from Norway, founded O-ID in Tokyo in 2025 with CTO Simon Gormuzov, who is from the Netherlands. The two met at Waseda University. In the US, manufacturers could need 3.8 million new workers by 2033. As many as 1.9 million of those jobs could go unfilled if the labour gap isn’t closed, O-ID says.

From Japan to the US

O-ID’s first markets are automotive manufacturing and logistics in Japan. It plans to expand into other industries and the US over time.

O-ID builds and manufactures its robots in Japan. The company says they are designed to meet the requirements of the US National Defense Authorization Act, as it looks to ship robots to the United States.

In August, XPENG’s robotics arm raised more than $900m ahead of its humanoid production run.

LG’s humanoid robot is due in 2027, running Nvidia’s Isaac GR00T. Figure, another humanoid maker, is buying $3.5bn of compute from Nscale. > “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,” said Stian Jakobsen, co-founder and CEO of O-ID.

Tokyo-based O-ID has raised $1.2m in pre-seed funding to build fully modular humanoid robots for industrial manufacturing and logistics. Chicago-based TAWANI Ventures led the round.

Hustle Fund, Techstars and angel investors also took part. The angels include the founders of Humanoid Guide, who were early investors in the robotics company 1X.