Insider Brief
- Konnex raised $15 million from a group of venture and strategic investors to build a decentralized framework that allows autonomous robots to be contracted, verified, and paid onchain, positioning physical labor to scale more like software.
- The round included backing from Cogitent Ventures, Liquid Capital, Leland Ventures, Covey, M77 Ventures, and Block Maven LLC, and will fund platform expansion, hardware integrations, and verification protocols for real-world robotic operations.
- Konnex aims to move autonomous robots out of closed, proprietary systems into a Robotics-as-a-Service model, targeting industrial, logistics, and other physical work markets it estimates at roughly $25 trillion globally.
PRESS RELEASE — Konnex, a pioneer in the decentralization of autonomous labor, announced it has secured $15 million in funding from a consortium of high-conviction strategic partners. The investment will accelerate the company’s mission to unlock the $25 trillion physical work economy by transitioning autonomous robots from closed, proprietary systems into a seamless, app-like ecosystem.
The round features prominent backing from venture firms, including Cogitent Ventures, Liquid Capital, Leland Ventures, Covey, M77 Ventures and Block Maven LLC.
“Physical work is a $25 trillion economy currently trapped in closed systems,” said Jon Ollwerther, CEO of Konnex. “With the support of our partners, Konnex is building the key to unlock that value. We are creating a world where autonomous robots work like apps—contracted, verified, and paid—to provide the scalable labor the world desperately needs.”
Despite a spate of major recent innovations around robotics and AI, work remains trapped in siloed infrastructures. Konnex is breaking these barriers by introducing a framework where autonomous robots function like applications: easily contracted, verified onchain, and paid instantly. This “Robotics-as-a-Service” evolution ensures labor can be deployed and scaled with the same fluidity as software.
Konnex is led by an elite team of veterans whose vast experience spans the robotics, drone technology, and capital markets sectors, including:
- Jon Ollwerther, CEO: A “40 Under 40” honoree with over 15 years of experience in robotics and media. Ollwerther previously led commercial teams at Measure and Aerobo, and sits on the Board of The Stan Lee Foundation.
- Brandon Torres Declet, Strategic Supporter: A five-time CEO and founder; and executive in the drone, robotics, and defense sectors, currently serving as CEO of Exyn Technologies and co-founder of ReadyMonitor. Declet has successfully led companies like AgEagle Aerial Systems, where he raised over $100 million and drove key acquisitions, and Measure, which became North America’s largest drone service provider under his leadership.
- Lucas Van Oostrum, Strategic Advisor: A drone-swarm pioneer and multi-robot coordination expert. Van Oostrum co-founded Nova Sky Stories with Kimbal Musk and co-launched the €100M RoboValley Fund.
The new capital will be used to expand the Konnex platform, integrate with new hardware partners, and further develop the verification protocols that allow autonomous systems to operate safely and efficiently in the real world.
Image credit: Konnex
