August 22, 2021
Robotics

Cobalt

Ever wonder why security guards are posted at the randomest places after midnight? If you've ever seen a security guard hanging out by a real estate firm or a silicon valley startup, there's a reason! Cobalt Robotics is here to help businesses protect their places of work.

The Elevator Pitch:

Security Services is a $49B problem. Today, many locations need physical security guards to monitor and protect people & assets in a given workplace. In fact, many tech companies need physical security in place to meet SOC2 regulations. Worse, when security guards go rogue, courts have stated that employers are still liable for their actions.

Cobalt is eliminating bias and risk in physical security. They deploy their robots to monitor a facility, and only charge owners for the time that the robot is active. Their robot is rich with technology, capable of scanning all its surroundings, monitoring environmental conditions, and interacting with humans. Whether 1 robot or an army of them, Cobalt is changing what we expect from physical security.

👇 The Drop Down

Site: https://www.cobaltrobotics.com/
Founded: 2016
Trend: Robotics & Automation
Traction: Series B, $53M in funding raised, hundreds of customers
Team - Robot Lifers
Dr. Travis Deyle - CEO, Founder, Georgia Tech Robotics Ph.D.
Erik Schluntz - CTO, Founder, Harvard Electrical Engineering & SpaceX alum

🔍 Why we like it

  1. 💡 Sizable Market with an Addressable Need
    Keeping people, places, and property safe is no easy task. Company spend billions on physical security just to meet regulations. Beyond the regulations, security guards themselves are at a considerably higher risk of injury relative to the national average. Cobalt keeps operators safer by keeping them out of wet hallways, and safely behind monitoring systems.
  2. 🧠 Robotics is their passion and their undeniable strength
    The quality of their robots is insane. Their robots are equipped with an arsenal of sensors to interact with the modern office environment. They've also got a great operations team to follow up on security incidents, and pleasantly interact with employees. Check out this video of Cobalt operating an elevator!
  3. 🤖 Will they overcome robot passivity?
    Security guards are unique since they command a certain authority. While Cobalt can dispatch emergency services if it detects a threat, the robot itself is not designed to immobilize or incapacitate anyone (not sure if we're ready as a society for robots to go Terminator on us yet 🤪)

🤝 Get involved with Cobalt

  • Check out their website
  • Watch their robot use an elevator
  • Apply for a job! Check out their job postings