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

At the world’s largest washing machine factory, Whirlpool Corp. showcases the start of its $300 million Ohio investment and the licensed skilled trades professionals building the next generation of American-made appliances

CLYDE, Ohio, Aug. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Whirlpool Corp. highlighted its nearly 70-year-old apprenticeship program Monday during a visit from Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling to its Clyde facility, the largest washing machine factory in the world. Joined by state and local leaders, Sonderling took a firsthand look at how the only remaining major American-owned appliance manufacturer builds and maintains its skilled workforce.

The Clyde plant, in operation since 1952, employs approximately 2,600 people and has run a formal apprenticeship program since 1958. Sonderling met with current apprentices and journeymen in the plant’s tool room, walked a section of the facility being modernized through the company’s recent $300 million investment in its U.S. laundry operations and reviewed the training academy for new production employees.

The visit came the same day Sonderling convened a workforce roundtable with U.S. Senator Jon Husted and northwest Ohio business leaders at Owens Community College in Perrysburg, where Whirlpool was among the participating employers.

“Whirlpool believes in the future of U.S. manufacturing because we see what our people can do when we invest in them,” said Kristin Day, Whirlpool Corporation vice president of U.S. manufacturing. “Our apprenticeship and training programs run in partnership with career technology centers, high schools and community colleges drawing on homegrown talent, including second and third-generation employees, to build what comes next. We thank Acting Secretary Sonderling for visiting and the Administration’s focus on the skilled trades and creating a level playing field for domestic producers that helps American manufacturers keep investing and building here.”

“Whirlpool is a leader not just in American manufacturing but also in workforce development,” said Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling. “Touring their facility, speaking with apprentices, and learning about the decades of experience the company has in training new hires and preparing them for long-term careers gave me invaluable insights. Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Labor is committed to fostering industry-driven innovation to bridge America’s skills gap.”

“For more than 70 years, generations of Clyde families have built careers inside the Whirlpool plant,” said Doug McCauley, Clyde Mayor. “Whirlpool’s apprenticeship and workforce programs are how the next generation gets the same shot of learning a trade, earning a paycheck and a future in Clyde. We’re grateful Secretary Sonderling came to see where American manufacturing is headed and the people taking it there.”

Whirlpool is investing $300 million in its Clyde and Marion laundry operations — work that includes new and modernized lines and a new generation of front-load washers and dryers launching later this year. In Perrysburg, construction is underway for the company’s newest manufacturing facility that will house a new parts and sub-assembly plant and employ up to 150 people.

Whirlpool is the only remaining major kitchen and laundry appliance company still based in America, building 80% of what it sells in the U.S., three times the industry average. Whirlpool has approximately 20,000 U.S. employees, including 14,000 manufacturing workers. Ninety-six percent of its steel is sourced from the U.S., and the vast majority of materials and components for its U.S. factories are produced in-house or sourced from domestic suppliers.

A skilled trades pipeline that begins in high school

Whirlpool is focused on attracting strong talent, creating defined career pathways and constantly focusing on how to make Whirlpool the best place to work. Whirlpool has expanded its apprenticeship and certification programs with some of the largest classes in its history, recognizing the growing need for skilled trades.

The Clyde apprenticeship at Whirlpool is a four-year, state-certified program that pairs classroom instruction with on-the-job training alongside working journeymen. Apprentices maintain and rebuild the dies, tools, molds and automated equipment that keep the plant running, and graduate into a variety of roles. The result is a debt-free alternative to a four-year degree for students who want to earn and build a career in Sandusky County.

The apprenticeship sits alongside other Whirlpool workforce pathways:

An on-site training academy where new production employees learn and certify on plant processesExpanded certification programs, with some of the largest classes in the company’s historyTuition reimbursement that allows hourly employees to earn degrees and move into engineering and plant leadership roles

The next class of apprentices starts this fall. Four years from now, they will be the journeymen showing the next class around.

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SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation

Three in four shoppers are more likely to buy again after a positive delivery experience, while missed promises are disrupting customers’ lives and costing retailers business

NEW YORK, Aug. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Veho today released its State of Delivery 2026 report, based on nearly 2,000 active online shoppers across the United States. The research examines how delivery shapes where consumers shop and whether they return.

The findings challenge two long-standing industry assumptions: that delivery is primarily a cost to minimize and that speed alone defines a good experience.

For consumers, delivery is part of the brand experience. 

75% of shoppers say a positive delivery experience makes them more likely to purchase from a retailer again.40% have stopped buying from a retailer after a package never arrived, and 33% have done so after a late delivery

The effects extend well beyond the doorstep. 

45% of shoppers say a poor delivery experience has ruined a vacation, special event, or holiday22% say a delayed delivery has caused them to lose sleep, while 20% say one has made them cry

For retailers, those failures do more than delay a package; they create a negative memory consumers associate with the brand.

“For decades, retailers have invested in personalizing discovery, product recommendations, and offers, then entrusted the final and most tangible part of the e-commerce experience to delivery networks built for a different era,” said Catherine Dummitt, VP of Marketing at Veho. “Consumers do not care which company carried the package to their doorstep; when it arrives late or not at all, they blame the brand. The reverse is also true. When an order arrives when and how a customer needs it, the brand earns the credit. That is how delivery becomes a competitive advantage: by building trust, creating moments of joy, and giving customers a reason to return.”

Delivery Drives Customer Acquisition and Conversion

The survey found that delivery influences customer acquisition before an order is placed, and even established brand preference may not be enough to overcome gaps in delivery optionality and experience.

54% of shoppers have purchased from a retailer for the first time specifically because of the delivery options offered at checkout56% have abandoned a cart because the available delivery options did not meet their needs89% have purchased from Amazon or Walmart instead of a retailer they preferred because of the delivery experience; 51% say they do so frequently

The findings make clear that delivery is not downstream of the purchase decision. It is a key part of it. For e-commerce and marketing leaders, the implication is stark: every dollar spent building brand affinity can be undone at checkout or on the way to the doorstep. Delivery drives acquisition, conversion, and retention, yet it is still too often managed as a cost to simply reduce.

Retailers Remain Accountable for the Delivery Experience

The research highlights that consumers do not separate the product from the experience of receiving it.

26% say delivery determines their satisfaction with a purchase more than the product itself, while another 47% say the two matter equally30% say they have stopped purchasing from a retailer after receiving no proactive communication about a delivery delay

Consumers associate delivery outcomes with the brand, making delivery a measure of business performance, not simply an operational one.

Consumers Want Speed, but on Their Terms

Delivery speed remains essential, with 95% of shoppers saying it is important. But shoppers do not need the same speed for every order. Consistency matters to 92%, while 67% want the ability to choose among different delivery speeds.

The right delivery experience depends on the moment, the customer, and the order.

60% have canceled plans or changed their schedule simply to be home for a package44% say they would try a brand they have never purchased from if it offered greater control over when and how an order arrived

The findings point to a more personalized model: faster delivery when timing matters, a more economical option when it does not, and certainty and communication throughout. For retailers, the opportunity is not to move away from speed, but to give each customer the speed, control, and experience the order requires.

To learn more, download Veho’s full State of Delivery 2026 report here: https://www.shipveho.com/whitepaper/state-of-ecommerce-delivery-2026-the-new-standard-is-personalized.

Methodology
The State of Delivery 2026 report is based on a survey of 1,954 active online shoppers across the United States, aged 18 to 80, who make online purchases at least once per month.

About Veho
Veho partners with the world’s leading brands to transform delivery from a cost center into a driver of customer trust, loyalty, and growth. Purpose-built for e-commerce, Veho serves brands like Macy’s, Sephora, Lululemon, Stitch Fix, and HelloFresh with a 99% on-time delivery rate and a 4.9/5 customer satisfaction score. Named to Fast Company’s list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in 2026, Veho is proving that delivery is the brand experience. For more information, visit shipveho.com.

Media Contact
Catherine Dummitt, catherine.dummitt@shipveho.com

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SOURCE Veho