Startups and investors gathered in Odense for a full day of pitching, networking, and early-stage innovation at the Startup Tent at ROBOTBRAG on May 7–8. In this article, hear from founders at RobSub and Naval Robotics – and from investors Peter Damm and Thomas Visti.
The Startup Tent at this year’s ROBOTBRAG was buzzing with founders, investors, and robotics professionals throughout the day as startups pitched their technologies.
From speed pitching and investor presentations to networking sessions and the Odense Robotics StartUp Fund Pitch Competition, the event created a space for early-stage startups to connect directly with investors and industry stakeholders.
The Startup Tent was hosted by Odense Robotics StartUp Fund, DIRA, and the Danish Technological Institute.
Robotics and AI attracting investors
One of the investors attending the event was Peter Damm from Bifrost Studios, who sees huge potential in the technological developments currently happening across robotics and artificial intelligence.
“I find the cluster here with Odense Robotics very fascinating,” he said. “There are some very interesting developments in both robotics and AI.”
For Peter Damm, the pace of innovation — and especially the combination of robotics and AI — is opening entirely new opportunities for startups and investors alike.
“They are moving at an exponential rate in terms of what can be done today,” he explained. “Particularly the convergence of robots and AI is something I’m very interested in.”
Backing the next generation of robotics founders
Thomas Visti, investor and owner of VISTI UNLIMITED and co-founder of Universal Robots and MiR, attended ROBOTBRAG to meet ambitious founders and identify promising early-stage companies.
According to him, strong founders remain the foundation of any successful startup.
“The first thing I’m looking for when considering a startup is the team,” he said. “It’s really people that make the difference. There also needs to be a good idea, a market, and a business case with the possibility to scale,” Thomas Visti explained.
Having previously built globally successful robotics companies himself, he now focuses on helping younger founders navigate the early phases of company building.
“I started Universal Robots and MiR from the very beginning,” he said. “I try to use the experience I gained from those companies to help young people make their dreams come true and build their own fantastic company.”
RobSub entering commercialization phase
One of the startups pitching during the event was RobSub, represented by CEO Cecilie Røes Andersen. The company, which later went on to win the Odense Robotics StartUp Fund Pitch Competition, is developing a robotic system capable of installing and repairing underground water pipes.
For RobSub, the event offered direct access to investors and industry stakeholders relevant to the company’s next growth phase.
“We want to show our product and our vision to a very relevant audience,” Cecilie explained.
RobSub is currently focused on moving the technology from development into deployment and real-world validation.
“We are focused on deploying and testing our technology,” she said. “We want to prove that we have the right quality for our installations and that is definitely something we would spend investor money on,” she added.
Naval Robotics pitching modular sea drone platform
Another company taking the stage was Naval Robotics, represented by co-founder and CTO Waleed Elzoghby. The startup is developing a modular sea drone platform designed for demanding maritime operations and harsh environments, where conventional solutions are often expensive and difficult to scale.
“The problem we are solving is with conventional maritime solutions. They are expensive to acquire, operate, and deploy,” Waleed explained.
The company’s ambition is to create a more flexible and scalable alternative for maritime operations.
For Naval Robotics, the pitch session at ROBOTBRAG offered a chance to connect with investors and showcase the company’s technology in one of Europe’s strongest robotics ecosystems.
“ROBOTBRAG — and especially Odense — is one of the strongest robotics hubs in Europe,” Waleed said. “That makes it the perfect arena for Naval Robotics to pitch our products.”
Odense Robotics is co-funded by the EU and the Virksomhedsudvikling Danmark