Silicon Valley based startup

The grand winner for Robot Launch was Leka, a developer of intuitive and intelligent toys for children with autism. Their product, Moti, is a robotic ball that is sensitive to its environment, moves on its own and changes colours to emote feelings; autistic children learn to regulate their own emotions by playing with Moti. Robot Launch judges said they picked Leka as the Robot Launch Grand Winner because they were ready for market and could have an immediate impact on autistic children if their product were widely available.

“As Ultimate Champion, we won mentoring from experts, ” said Leka CEO and Co-founder Ladislas de Toldi, who is hoping the prize will help bring Moti to market soon. “Thanks to the tests we have been running with children parents and caregivers [of autistic children], we have shown the relevance and usefulness of our robot. But we hadn’t crash tested our product. RobotLaunch [was] the perfect opportunity for us to challenge our robot and get feedback from real experts. The judges’ feedback really helped us to formalize our project.”

The competition’s global reach gave startups from around the world a unique opportunity to network on level footing with investors and experts located in faraway technology hubs.

“[Robot Launch] was a platform to showcase our robots in Silicon valley – something nearly impossible for a startup based in India, ” said Fahad Azad of Robosoft Systems, a startup that makes duct cleaning robots. Robosoft was a finalist in the competition, and took home one of the three Lean Startup Awards, alongside Odd I/O of Portland Oregon, and Tandemech Engineering of San Francisco. The Best European Startup Award went to DoBots, from the Netherlands, and the Grand Prize winner Leka is based in France.

Wigl, by Odd I/O. Finalist in the Robot Launch 2014 startup competition, and winner of the Lean Startup Award and the Indiegogo Crowdpleaser Award.

“The global competition elevated my own robot’s exposure and allowed me to learn more about what others are doing around the world, ” said Odd I/O‘s Vivek Mano, who won the Indiegogo Crowdpleaser Award in addition to the Lean Startup Award. “It’s great to know that there are so many others out there with an earnest passion for robotic electronics to make the world a better place.”

Wall-climbing robot, by Tandemech Engineering. Finalist in the Robot Launch 2014 startup competition, and winner of the Lean Startup Award, the Wilmerhale Award and the SOLID Showcase Award.

“Robot Launch 2014 is opening up a very important outlet to help identify and showcase some groundbreaking business and technology ideas, not only in the Silicon Valley but throughout the world, ” said Glenn Luinenburg, a Partner at WilmerHale, a Silicon Valley law firm that works with robotics companies, and which awarded a legal startup package worth more than $25, 000 USD to Tandemech Engineering, maker of wall-climbing robots.

Autopilot add-on, by DoBots. Finalist in the Robot Launch 2014 startup competition, and winner of the Best European Startup Award.

“Our goal with Robot Launch is to grow the robotics ecosystem, and the awards we’re offering are exactly what a robot startup needs to accelerate their growth, ” says Andra Keay who, as Director of Silicon Valley Robotics, spearheaded the competition.