Australian robotics start-up Andromeda, co-founded by 25-year-old Grace Brown and her university peer Yan Chen, has reached a $100 million valuation following a $23 million Series A funding round. The raise marks one of the largest early-stage rounds for a woman-led start-up this year, signaling a major step forward for female founders in the robotics and AI sector.
Building Robots with Emotional Intelligence
Andromeda’s flagship product, a humanoid robot named Abi, is designed as a companion for elderly residents in aged care facilities. Abi can hold conversations in multiple languages, guide residents through daily schedules, facilitate group activities, and build meaningful one-on-one relationships—especially with those who receive few visitors.
Brown explained that the vision behind Abi goes beyond automation.
“We’re at the frontier of emotion, character AI and social systems design,” she said. “The world needs more warm, helpful, and profoundly human relationships—our robots aim to deliver that.”
Scaling Up and Expanding Abroad
The fresh capital will enable Andromeda to ramp up production from just eight robots per month to 100, while also funding its expansion into the United States. To accelerate this strategy, Brown is relocating to San Francisco to establish a U.S. base of operations.
The Series A round was led by Forerunner Ventures, Rethink Impact, and Main Sequence Ventures, with participation from Visible Ventures, Trampoline Ventures, Purpose Ventures, and angel investor Dominic Price, Atlassian’s former workplace futurist.
From Bedroom Prototype to Global Stage
Brown’s journey with Andromeda began as a self-funded side project during her time at the University of Melbourne, where she studied mechatronic engineering. Initially dismissed by potential backers, she gained traction after winning Vogue’s Future Innovators contest in 2021, securing a $10,000 prize.
That milestone opened the door to Startmate’s accelerator program, where she received $120,000 in funding—enough to leave her part-time university workshop job and focus full-time on Andromeda. A $3 million seed round in 2024 helped build early momentum, but customer demand quickly outpaced resources, with waitlists stretching up to 12 months.
Now, with Series A backing, Andromeda is preparing for mass production and international deployment. Brown’s long-term ambition is to see 10,000 Abi robots deployed worldwide within the next three years.
Breaking Barriers for Female Founders
Brown’s success places her among a small but growing group of female tech founders to achieve nine-figure valuations. Despite facing systemic challenges and unconscious investor bias, she believes Andromeda’s traction proves both market fit and impact potential.
“There was a phase where I felt like it was a big slap in the face,” Brown reflected, pointing out how male peers often received funding with little more than an idea. “Now we’ve demonstrated product-market fit, built a strong team, and shown that customers love Abi.”
Her journey illustrates both the barriers and opportunities facing women in deep tech entrepreneurship—and positions Andromeda as a global contender at the intersection of robotics, AI, and social care.