Humanoid robots aren't quite ready to take over factory floors just yet, but the manufacturing world is eager for them. With persistent labor shortages, companies are increasingly turning to startups that promise faster automation without the usual compromises. That's the opportunity Theker is chasing. This AI robotics startup wants to move beyond machines trained for just one job. Theker is built for the unpredictable reality of real-world work. Unlike humanoid robots locked into a fixed shape—like those from Boston Dynamics—Theker's machines are designed to be reconfigured. Their hands, arms, and overall form can be swapped out or adjusted depending on the task, whether it's sorting packages, folding clothes, or handling bottles and cans in a warehouse.

The fact that Inditex—parent company of Zara—signed on as an early backer shows where Theker's ambitions start, not where they end. The company's bigger goal is to expand beyond retail into heavier industrial settings like manufacturing, where manual tasks are even more complex and large-scale. This generalist vision has helped make Theker one of Europe's most closely watched startups—and raised capital accordingly. The Barcelona-based company has just secured $85 million in what it calls "Europe's largest ever robotics Series A." (We couldn't find a larger one in our records, either.)

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Less than a year after a record seed round, this Series A was led by American venture firm CRV and backed by a mix of traditional and strategic investors, including Samsung and Aglaé Ventures—the investment vehicle tied to LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault. Gómez Cano said Samsung isn't a client yet, but the two are in advanced discussions. Theker would welcome having the Korean company as a customer, supplier, and investor all at once—a trifecta that would give the startup both revenue and credibility in large-scale manufacturing. She also noted that she and co-founder Jiaqiang Ye Zhu "didn't build Theker to run pilots," so the team skips innovation departments entirely and goes straight to logistics or operations, where deals are real and timelines are shorter.

To prove the company can actually deliver, Theker has a showroom in central Barcelona and plans to open more as it expands across Europe, the U.S., and Asia. It will also grow its workforce in tech, deployment, and sales. "We already received 15,000 job applications and have to filter like crazy," Gómez Cano said. She estimated the team could grow from dozens to up to 120 people by the end of the year, then caught herself: "I am saying that, but I also said that we'd raise $30 or $40 million."

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That Theker managed to raise twice its target also reinforces the startup's conviction in keeping its headquarters in Barcelona—a growing robotics hub—and in Europe's tech ecosystem more broadly. "It has never been a barrier to acceleration for us, so we are making the most of it," Gómez Cano said.