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Avatar Robotics Raises $6.5 Million Seed to Build the Unlimited Industrial Workforce

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SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Avatar Robotics, a startup building the unlimited workforce for industrial labor, today announced it has raised a $6.5 million Seed round led by AlleyCorp, alongside a pre-seed led by defy.vc, and participation from Headline, Henry Ford III, Refashiond, Paul Vogel, Jack Huffard, and Samuel Udotong.

Avatar Robotics addresses one of the largest structural constraints facing the U.S. economy: persistent labor shortages across warehousing, logistics, and manufacturing. As companies reshore operations and demand faster fulfillment, many facilities struggle to hire and retain enough workers for physically demanding or repetitive jobs.

Avatar unleashes a new category of industrial infrastructure that combines robotics, remote human operators, and AI-driven autonomy. Its humanoid robots can perform high-value warehouse and manufacturing workflows such as picking, packing, kitting, sorting, cycle counting, and material movement — delivering flexible labor capacity 24/7.

Since launching in December 2025, Avatar Robotics has packed, sorted, and helped ship more than 900,000 products, including for a leading global beauty retailer, via robots deployed across live customer environments. The company has also begun a post-pilot expansion with a multi-billion-dollar warehouse operator to support sorting and picking workflows, with additional deployments underway.

“The United States has a massive labor shortage, and the warehouses and factories that power daily life are struggling to hire enough workers,” said Colin Webb, Founder and CEO of Avatar Robotics. “For the first time, affordable robotics, high-speed connectivity, and AI-driven autonomy make it possible to create a new kind of workforce. Avatar Robotics gives businesses access to scalable industrial labor, while enabling workers to operate fleets of robots remotely from safer and more comfortable environments. Over time, this can dramatically lower the cost of goods and expand economic opportunity to people anywhere in the world.”

Unlike traditional automation systems that require rigid workflows and expensive upfront integration, Avatar is plug-n-play, using remote operators to complete tasks reliably from day one. While operating, Avatar Robots continuously learn from the data they generate, enabling robotic foundation models to bring intelligent automation to every task.

The result is a new kind of robotics infrastructure for the physical economy. Customers get labor capacity immediately. Avatar Robotics produces the data needed to improve autonomy, where eventually one warehouse operator will command entire fleets of robots. In the future, Avatar will power an ever-growing suite of autonomous workflows for today’s highly manual, complex tasks.

 “Avatar Robotics has built strong partnerships with their initial customers — and is already delivering meaningful value in real workflows — through their human-in-the-loop system, which is performing at a level competitive with skilled human operators,” said Brannon Jones, Principal at AlleyCorp. “In doing so, Avatar Robotics has also generated large datasets of robot control data, which the industry currently lacks and will help to inform foundation models and enable more scalable labor supply.”

“Colin’s vision for Avatar instantly captivated me,” said Amy Yin, Partner, defy.vc. “The path to full robotic autonomy will require both better hardware and massive amounts of real-world data. Avatar’s approach is incredibly clever: use remote human operators to bridge the gap today while improving autonomy with every task completed. I believe that model can help Avatar build one of the largest humanoid robot fleets in the world.”

The new capital will be used to expand deployments, accelerate autonomy software development, scale robot fleets, and grow the company’s engineering and operations teams.

Avatar Robotics’ team includes engineers and operators from Cruise, Apple, Tesla, Intuitive Surgical, and Unity, with research backgrounds from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The founder and CEO, Colin Webb, graduated from MIT (delivering the commencement address), and has developed various autonomous solutions ranging from AI powered drones and self-driving cars, to founding a recently acquired AI startup with cofounder Nenye Anagbogu, who has teamed up with Webb once again at Avatar.

Avatar Robotics envisions scaling to millions of robots operating across warehouses, factories, mines, farms, and future infrastructure projects — allowing businesses of any size to access industrial-grade labor on demand, and enabling workers globally to control fleet-scale physical systems virtually.

To get in touch with the Avatar Robotics team, reach out at hello@avatarrobotics.com.

About Avatar Robotics

Avatar Robotics is building the unlimited workforce for industrial labor. Avatar combines humanoid robots, a global fleet of robot operators, and AI autonomy to help businesses scale warehouse, logistics, and manufacturing operations with affordable, flexible, always-available labor. Businesses with tedious, hard-to-automate tasks including kitting, sorting, picking, packing, rework and assembly tasks can tap into Avatar’s overnight scalable labor, capable of 24/7 work. Avatar robots are currently fulfilling thousands of big brand retail products daily.

Avatar Robotics is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Learn more at www.avatarrobotics.com

About AlleyCorp

AlleyCorp is a New York-based venture capital firm that incubates and invests in transformative companies across healthcare, AI, enterprise software, consumer tech, deep tech, and more.

As one of the most active early-stage investors in New York, AlleyCorp focuses on investing at the incubation, pre–seed, seed, and Series A stages. Founded by serial entrepreneur Kevin Ryan, AlleyCorp’s past incubations have included MongoDB (NASDAQ: MDB), Business Insider, Zola, Gilt Groupe, Radical AI, and Transcend Therapeutics. Learn more at alleycorp.com.

About defy.vc

defy.vc is a Silicon Valley–based early-stage venture capital firm, currently investing out of defy III. With $700M under management across its funds, defy takes an artisanal approach to company building—backing founders with conviction and providing hands-on support from inception through exit. Our team blends decades of venture experience with entrepreneurial and operating expertise, partnering with the boldest founders shaping the future. Connect with defy at https://defy.vc and @defyvc.

Media Contact
Kelsey Cullen, KCPR
kelsey@kcpr.com
650.438.1063

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SOURCE Avatar Robotics

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Gregg Meyer, Harvard Physician and Health System Leader, Affiliates with Cornerstone Research

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Dr. Meyer brings more than thirty years of experience in value-based care, hospital operations, vertical integration, and healthcare quality measurement.

BOSTON, Aug. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Cornerstone Research announced today that Gregg S. Meyer, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, has affiliated with the firm.

An expert in healthcare delivery systems, value-based care, and population health management, Dr. Meyer has extensive experience as a health system executive, practicing physician, and healthcare researcher. He has also served as medical director of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization (MGPO), one of the largest multispecialty medical groups in the United States.

Healthcare antitrust, merger, and vertical integration expertise

Dr. Meyer’s combination of executive leadership, clinical practice, and health policy research positions him to analyze matters involving hospital and physician-group operations, vertical integration, healthcare mergers, physician incentives, quality measurement, and provider contract negotiations, among others.

Dr. Meyer has held concurrent senior leadership roles at the Boston-based Mass General Brigham health system. As president of the Community Division, he oversaw strategy and operations across multiple hospitals, home care services, and physician groups. His work as executive vice president of value-based care integrated the system’s health insurance organization and population health management programs across hospitals, primary care, and ambulatory and urgent care sites.

“Gregg brings a rare breadth of health system leadership: he has run hospital operations, has managed physician groups, and has worked with provider-sponsored health insurance to build a top-tier value-based care program,” said Dina Older Aguilar, senior vice president and cohead of Cornerstone’s healthcare practice. “He knows firsthand how hospitals, insurers, and physician groups actually work together, and that perspective offers clients real insight into healthcare antitrust and merger disputes.”

Healthcare quality leadership and research

Dr. Meyer’s experience also includes work in the federal government. He directed the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In that capacity, he shaped federal quality agendas and coordinated patient-safety research across government agencies.

A widely published researcher, Dr. Meyer has authored or coauthored more than 100 articles, editorials, chapters, and monographs on topics including healthcare quality measurement, pay-for-performance payment models, medical workforce modeling, and the outcomes of medical procedures.

He has served on national and international committees focused on healthcare quality and safety, among them the World Health Organization’s Scientific Peer Review Group on Health Systems Performance Assessment, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare, and NASA’s Medical Policy Board.

Dr. Meyer holds an M.D., earned magna cum laude, from Albany Medical College and an S.M. from the Harvard School of Public Health. A Rhodes Scholar, he earned an M.Sc. from the University of Oxford and a B.S., summa cum laude, from Union College.

About Cornerstone Research

Cornerstone Research is at the forefront of economic and financial consulting, delivering the rigorous analytical solutions required to navigate complex disputes. The firm draws from an extensive network of prominent academic and industry experts to support each matter effectively. Pairing a deep understanding of economics and finance with a suite of industry-leading artificial intelligence and machine learning tools, Cornerstone provides clients with a sophisticated, tailored approach. A reputation for innovation, precision, and excellence has defined Cornerstone since 1989. That momentum continues with over 1,000 professionals collaborating across nine offices in the US, UK, and EU. Learn more at https://www.cornerstone.com/.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gregg-meyer-harvard-physician-and-health-system-leader-affiliates-with-cornerstone-research-302843929.html

SOURCE Cornerstone Research

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E Street Technologies to Support Office of Naval Research STEM Internships, Outreach, and Website Support Through Huna Research Associates JV

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WASHINGTON and HERNDON, Va., Aug. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — E Street Technologies LLC (ESTech), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Universities Space Research Association (USRA), will support the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Internships, Outreach, and Website Support contract through Huna Research Associates JV, LLC (HRA), a joint venture between protégé HunaTek Operations Services, LLC (HTOS) and mentor E Street Technologies LLC under the Small Business Administration Mentor-Protégé program.

The Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract has a ceiling of $69 million, with a period of performance from July 22, 2026, through July 21, 2031. Under the contract scope, HRA will support programs that include the Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP), the Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP), the Naval Horizons Program, Short-Term Internship Programs, the Department of the Navy HBCU/MI Program, the Naval STEM Website, and Naval STEM Outreach.

“E Street Technologies LLC is proud to support Huna Research Associates JV, LLC and the Office of Naval Research in advancing programs that help prepare students for meaningful engagement with Naval science and technology,” said Dr. Carol Kory, ESTech President. “Through ESTech and USRA, we bring more than five decades of experience administering internships, fellowships, university consortia, and workforce development programs, along with a national network of 124 PhD-granting universities.

“This work aligns directly with ESTech and USRA’s mission to connect talent, universities, and federal science and technology priorities,” said Dr. Elsayed Talaat, USRA President and CEO. “By supporting HRA’s execution of the ONR STEM contract, ESTech will help strengthen the bridge between students, academic institutions, and Department of the Navy science and technology opportunities.”

About E Street Technologies LLC

E Street Technologies LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Universities Space Research Association. Through USRA, ESTech connects educational institutions with the federal government to advance science and technology and brings extensive experience supporting internships, fellowships, university consortia, and workforce development programs. [HRA Intro | Word]

About Huna Research Associates JV, LLC

Huna Research Associates JV, LLC is a joint venture between protégé HunaTek Operations Services, LLC, a certified 8(a), Alaska Native Corporation-owned entity, and mentor E Street Technologies LLC under the Small Business Administration Mentor-Protégé program. HRA brings expertise delivering technical and programmatic solutions to the federal government across customers including the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, National Science Foundation, U.S. Geological Survey, and NASA.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Suraiya Farukhi, Ph.D. 
Universities Space Research Association (USRA)
Sfarukhi@usra.edu 

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SOURCE Universities Space Research Association

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SettlementOne Partners with Secure Insight to Bring Wire Fraud Protection to Mortgage Lenders

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SettlementOne, a leading provider of credit reporting, data, and verification solutions, and Secure Insight, the first-to-market closing table vendor management and wire fraud solution provider, today announced a strategic partnership offering instant verification of settlement agent risk assessment together with verified wire instructions.

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — SettlementOne, a leading provider of credit reporting, data, and verification solutions, and Secure Insight, the first-to-market closing table vendor management and wire fraud solution provider, today announced a strategic partnership offering instant verification of settlement agent risk assessment together with verified wire instructions. Under the terms of the deal, Secure Insight’s Closing Guard solution will become a new product offering within SettlementOne’s software platform for mortgage lenders.

“Risk mitigation and fraud prevention have long been top priorities at SettlementOne, and Secure Insight’s Closing Guard fills a gap for our lending clients.”

“Risk mitigation and fraud prevention have long been top priorities at SettlementOne, and Secure Insight’s Closing Guard fills a gap for our lending clients,” said Cheryl Kenney, SVP, Sales and Marketing of SettlementOne. “Secure Insight’s customer-first approach aligns closely with our values at SettlementOne and we’re pleased this partnership will allow us to offer our mutual clients another layer of protection through the platform they already use without any additional vendor complexity to manage. This is a meaningful step forward in reducing risk for both lenders and consumers.”

SettlementOne has always operated on a simple principle: when lenders succeed, everyone benefits. This philosophy has guided SettlementOne from a small credit reporting agency to one of the mortgage industry’s most trusted technology partners. What began as a mission to streamline credit reporting has evolved into a robust suite of solutions that touch every aspect of the lending process.

“We are excited that our industry-leading technology solution for verifying agent risk and wire account information will be accessible to SettlementOne’s lender clients,” said Secure Insight President Andrew Liput. “We have long recognized the importance of closing table risk including risk of wire fraud and stand behind our fifteen-year history of providing effective and affordable solutions for lenders nationwide.”

Since its founding in 2012, Secure Insight has been successfully vetting and monitoring the risk of over 95,000 mortgage industry settlement professionals (attorneys, title agents and escrow officers) while verifying more than 125,000 trust accounts and protecting trillions of dollars of funding wires across more than 55 million residential loan transactions nationwide with its Closing Guard product. Through this partnership, Closing Guard will be integrated into SettlementOne’s software offering and available to all their clients.

This partnership will allow SettlementOne’s Encompass lenders to access Secure Insight’s Closing Guard directly through their existing SettlementOne integration, with activity automatically reported back to the SettlementOne platform for unified tracking and billing under a single account. For SettlementOne’s mutual clients, the partnership adds another layer of protection through the platform they already know, use, and trust.

Today, SettlementOne is proud to serve leading financial institutions nationwide from community credit unions to major banks who trust SettlementOne to deliver accurate data, seamless integrations, and exceptional service.

Media Contact

Cheryl Kenney, SettlementOne, 1 800.340.2009, ckenney@settlementone.com, www.SettlementOne.com

Andrew Liput, Secure Insight, 1 877 758 7878, aliput@secureinsight.com, www.secureinsight.com

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/settlementone-partners-with-secure-insight-to-bring-wire-fraud-protection-to-mortgage-lenders-302843378.html

SOURCE SettlementOne

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