Swedish startup 120ft has exited stealth with €576,000 in angel funding to build autonomous microfactories staffed by humanoid robots. Founded in 2025 by Martin Willers, the Stockholm company plans to operate the factories itself and charge customers per finished product. Its design uses three 40-foot containers for component preparation, assembly, inspection and packing, combining humanoid robots, AI and simulation software. 120ft says it has cut robot skill training from seven weeks in 2025 to seven hours in 2026, targeting seven minutes in 2027. The round drew 22 angel investors, including Ted Persson, Sophia Bendz, Matthias Dantone and Sam Baker.
According to Robotics & Automation News, Swedish robotics startup 120ft has emerged from stealth after raising €576,000 in angel funding to develop autonomous microfactories that use humanoid robots for local manufacturing.
The Stockholm-based company is designing modular factories meant to let consumer brands assemble products locally in smaller batches, rather than depending on large production runs and lengthy international supply chains. The company was founded in 2025 by Martin Willers.
Rather than selling robots or helping clients build their own automated lines, 120ft intends to operate the factories itself. Customers would pay per finished product, according to the report.
Three 40-foot containers form the factory footprint
The company’s factory design uses three 40-foot containers, handling component preparation, assembly, inspection and packing. That configuration gives 120ft its name, the source states.
The system combines humanoid robots, AI, virtual production-line simulation and proprietary orchestration software. Product designs, parts lists and quality requirements are converted into digital instructions, which allows assembly processes to be tested virtually before physical production begins.
120ft says it has cut the time needed to teach one end-to-end robot assembly skill from seven weeks in 2025 to seven hours in 2026. Its stated target is seven minutes in 2027.
The company has demonstrated the system by having robots assemble a lamp, including installing a cylinder lock, threading the bulb fitting and running a functional test.
Founder points to inventory risk at small brands
Willers said the company grew out of a problem he experienced firsthand at his previous venture, where long waits for stock made it hard to know which colours customers wanted most.
“I started 120ft because I had lived this problem myself. At Transparent, we could spend months waiting for thousands of products to arrive before knowing what colour customers actually wanted the most. For a smaller brand, that means tying up cash and making decisions about demand far too early. Robotics and physical AI are now reaching the point where we can rethink that model.” — Martin Willers, founder and CEO of 120ft
He argues that smaller brands in particular are forced to commit capital and forecast demand well before real customer signals arrive, a constraint the company says robotics and physical AI can now address.
Twenty-two angels back the round
The funding comes from 22 angel investors, including Ted Persson, co-head of EQT’s Scaleup Europe Fund; Sophia Bendz, partner at Cherry Ventures and former global marketing director at Spotify; Fashwell co-founder Matthias Dantone; and Sam Baker of Planet A.
Baker framed the investment around the operational layers that surround the robot itself, noting that hardware alone does not resolve the manufacturing problem for brands.
“A robot on its own does not solve the manufacturing problem. Brands also need the tooling, software, quality control and operational systems around it. 120ft is bringing those pieces together into something customers can simply buy as finished production.” — Sam Baker, Planet A
The capital will support development of 120ft’s software and factory infrastructure as the company moves toward commercial production. Over the longer term, it plans to extend the model to product repair, upgrades and remanufacturing.
Source: Robotics & Automation News
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
