Tech investor Carles Reyna has launched a fund focused on artificial intelligence, robotics and defense.
The $15 million Baobab Ventures fund is focused on pre-seed and seed technology teams and has already closed seven deals, Reyna wrote in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday (Nov. 26).
“Baobab’s thesis is simple: architecture firms have changed dramatically over the past three years. What worked before doesn’t work anymore,” wrote Reyna, who invested in Revolut and Eleven Labs.
In an interview with Tech Funding News, Reyna said he works with founders on market strategy, recruiting, operations, and sales execution now that launching a startup doesn’t mean what it used to.
“Sales cycles are faster, there are hundreds of competitors within months, and AI has lowered cold outreach conversion rates. Founders need to move incredibly quickly while building sales and growth efforts fit for the AI era,” he told the news outlet.
“To do that, we need operators on the cap table who can leverage relevant front-line experience in the AI era and who can really rely on their help. This AI-based operator experience is a clear gap in the European landscape, and I believe Baobab can fill it.”
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In other artificial intelligence and robotics news, PYMNTS wrote last week about the emergence of physical AI as the next step in robotics. This is happening as the next phase of robotics advances in sensing, perception, and large-scale AI models provide machines with capabilities not supported by traditional automation.
“Previous robots followed fixed commands, operated only in predictable environments, and struggled with the unpredictability found in daily tasks such as changing layouts, changing the shape of items, mixing lighting, and human movement,” the report states.
“This situation is beginning to change as research groups demonstrate how simulations, digital twins, and multimodal learning pipelines allow robots to learn adaptive behaviors and bring those behaviors into real facilities with minimal retraining.”
The report also points to findings from the World Economic Forum that similar changes are occurring in manufacturing. Their analysis explored how advances in robot dexterity, machine perception, environmental mapping, and model-based reasoning will transform robots from isolated, fenced-in stations to shared work areas that enhance production, inspection, and transportation tasks.
WEF research shows that companies are starting to think of robots as intelligent, mobile systems that can adapt to new product lines, swap tasks, and work collaboratively with humans without the need for rigid constraints.
