Kassel-based SWARM Biotactics, a German startup in the field of biorobotics, has secured €10M in Seed funding, bringing its total funding to €13M, following a previous €3M pre-seed round.
The seed investment comes from a consortium of international investors, including Vertex Ventures US, Possible Ventures, and existing investor Capnamic. Several early backers also increased their stakes in the oversubscribed round.
Creating a new category in robotics for inaccessible environments
Founded in 2024, SWARM Biotactics is a German bio-robotics company pioneering “a new category of robotics” using controllable living insects. Its bio-robotic systems are designed to operate in cluttered, denied, and high-risk environments where traditional machines fail.
The company’s technology consists of cockroaches equipped with custom-built backpacks that enable control, sensing, and secure communication. This approach allows for precise navigation and real-time data collection in environments that conventional robots cannot access.
The technology combines biology with edge AI, swarm intelligence, and secure communications to deliver intelligence from inaccessible places.
Stefan Wilhelm, CEO of SWARM Biotactics, says, “We’re entering a decade where access, autonomy, and resilience define geopolitical advantage. Conventional systems fail where control is needed most—denied zones, collapsed infrastructure, and politically complex terrain. SWARM is the first company building an entirely new category of robotics: biologically integrated, AI-enabled, and mass-deployable systems for persistent intelligence in places no drone or ground robot can reach.”
SWARM Biotactics positions its solution as particularly valuable for defence, national security, disaster response, and industrial inspection applications where access to difficult environments is critical.
Capital utilisation
The funding will enable SWARM Biotactics to transition from advanced research to field deployment for defence, security, and disaster response applications.
The funding will be allocated across several strategic initiatives: expanding operational pilots with defence and emergency response agencies in Europe and North America, scaling production of proprietary sensor backpacks and neural interfaces, and establishing international go-to-market and engineering hubs.
SWARM plans to recruit specialists in insect neurobiology, embedded AI, field robotics, and dual-use system integration over the next 12 months.
CEO Stefan Wilhelm says, “This funding moves us from deep tech to deployment—delivering the infrastructure democracies need to operate more smartly, more safely, and with total tactical awareness.”
Moritz Strube, CTO and co-founder, adds, “Our mission is to build a scalable, dual-use intelligence platform that adapts to any terrain, threat, or mission. This funding round validates the vision—and brings in the right global partners to help us scale.”
From laboratory research to field operations
With headquarters in Kassel, Germany and a subsidiary in San Francisco, California, SWARM Biotactics is positioning itself at the intersection of biology and advanced robotics.
The €10M seed funding will help the company move beyond the research phase and into practical field applications with potential government and emergency services clients.
The company’s focus on dual-use technology suggests applications that can serve both military and civilian purposes, potentially creating a broader market for its bio-robotic systems beyond purely defence applications.
As SWARM continues to develop its technology and expand its operations, it positions itself as a pioneer in the emerging field of controllable bio-robots for mission-critical operations.
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