PITTSBURGH — Aug. 26, 2025 — Robotics is becoming a bigger part of our everyday lives. Innovation in the field is happening in Southwestern Pennsylvania and is integral to the next generation of technology, and nurturing startups in the space is equally important.

The Robotics Factory, a program of Innovation Works dedicated to creating, accelerating, and scaling robotics companies in the Pittsburgh region, has accepted five companies to its Accelerate program. The program’s third cohort includes Beyond Reach Labs, OctaPulse, roboLoop, Silly Surfacing, and Space Precision Systems.

The companies will receive up to $100,000 in pre-seed investment, access to the Robotics Factory’s state-of-the-art co-working and production-grade prototyping space, and tailored mentorship from experienced professionals in robotics and business. Participants benefit from the nationally recognized AlphaLab program, which covers essentials like customer and market fit, scaling a hardware business, manufacturing at scale, and designing for production. Founders engage regularly with a dedicated team of experts committed to their success.

“Robotics and automation are this region’s bread and butter, and these five impressive founders show how these foundational technologies apply to more and more industries,” said Kevin Dowling, Managing Director of the Robotics Factory. “Our team of entrepreneurs is eager to guide Pittsburgh’s next generation of robotics startups and help them evolve into successful companies.” 

This year’s cohort includes companies in a wide range of sectors. 

• Beyond Reach Labs  develops portable, rapidly deployable network and monitoring solutons
• OctaPulse  creates advanced technology solutions for sustainable ocean farming and ecosystem monitoring
• roboLoop  builds custom robotic solutions for material recovery from electronic waste items
• Silly Surfacing  uses an autonomous process to detect, map, and repair potholes
• Space Precision Systems  delivers custom space mechanisms regardless of mass, volume, functional, or environmental constraints

Robotics Factory alumni Cell X Technologies and Aquatonomy have attracted VC investment and entered their next stage of growth. The Robotics Factory also helps startups grow across its programming. Space Precision Systems and Beyond Reach Labs were residents with the Scale program before joining this year’s cohort. 

“Space Precision Systems is eager to join a community of robotics and entrepreneurship experts, and looks forward to supporting our IW-backed colleagues,” said Hahna Alexander, CEO of Space Precision Systems. “The workspace, manufacturer and investor partnerships, SME workshops, and seed funding will be instrumental in accelerating our mission of eliminating valve leaks in the space industry.” 

“Participating in the residency program enabled us to build and test prototypes outside the university setting, helping us showcase our vision and technical capabilities to win funding through startup competitions,” added Mitchell Fogelson, CEO and Founder of Beyond Reach Labs. “Now, as part of the accelerator, I’m excited to take the next step: turning those prototypes into real products that support our customers and advance the design, optimization, and simulation of intelligent deployable architectures for both Earth and space applications.” 

Learn more about how the Robotics Factory is fostering the next generation of startups solving market needs through robotics and automation.

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About the Robotics Factory

The Robotics Factory is a program of Innovation Works designed to create, accelerate, and scale robotics startups in the Pittsburgh region. It provides entrepreneurs with the capital, tailored mentorship, manufacturing, and robotics resources they need to grow their companies. Learn more at roboticsfactory.org.

About Innovation Works

Innovation Works is one of the most active early-stage investors in the country and the most active in Pennsylvania. Since its inception of the seed fund in 1999, Innovation Works has invested in over 780 companies that have gone on to raise $3.4 billion in follow-on funding. Portfolio companies have generated and retained over 20,000 jobs in Pennsylvania. Innovation Works is part of the Ben Franklin Technology Partners network, which has catalyzed economic growth over the last 30 years by providing access to capital and networks that help foster innovation and technology-based economic development in Pennsylvania. Learn more at innovationworks.org. 

Contact

Lexie Capperella

Gregory FCA on behalf of the Robotics Factory innovationworks@gregoryfca.com