Insider Brief
- Summer Robotics completed the first close of its Series A led by Applied Ventures, with Solasta Ventures, NAVER D2SF and others participating, to accelerate its Kortx machine-vision platform for robots operating in unstructured, variable-lighting environments.
- The company appointed Rick Van Valkenburg as chief commercial officer, adding nearly 30 years of automation and machine-vision experience—including 28 years at Perceptron—to drive commercialization and partnerships.
- Pilot programs with automotive manufacturers are underway as Summer expands to additional industries, positioning Kortx to unlock new automation use cases across manufacturing, logistics and emerging humanoid applications.
PRESS RELEASE — Summer Robotics, a pioneer in machine vision for vision-guided robotics, announced it completed the first closing of its Series A financing. The round was led by Applied Ventures, LLC, the venture capital arm of Applied Materials, Inc., with participation from Solasta Ventures, NAVER D2SF, and other investors.
The funding will accelerate the company’s Kortx machine vision platform, which enables robots to operate in dynamic, unstructured environments, under a wide range of lighting conditions — thus unlocking new automation capabilities in manufacturing, logistics, as well as humanoid applications.
Summer Robotics also announced the appointment of Rick Van Valkenburg as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). Rick brings nearly 30 years of experience in automation and machine vision, including 28 years at Perceptron Inc., where he held leadership roles driving commercial growth and global partnerships.
“Our Kortx platform is enabling robotics applications that were not feasible with existing solutions,” said Schuyler Cullen, CEO of Summer Robotics. “This Series A investment validates our vision and allows us to scale faster. Rick’s leadership will be pivotal as we expand our commercial footprint.”
“After nearly three decades in this field, I believe Summer Robotics is building something truly transformative,” said Rick Van Valkenburg. “I’m excited to help bring this technology to market.”
The company has already launched pilot programs with automotive manufacturers and is expanding into additional industries seeking advanced automation.
“Summer Robotics’ breakthrough technology is set to unlock spatial intelligence for AI to better understand the physical world,” said John Wei, Senior Director at Applied Ventures, LLC. “We’re excited to support them as they enter their next phase of growth.”
