Two young entrepreneurs based in Galway have secured nearly half a million in funding to pursue their robotics software company which they claim will “fundamentally change” manufacturing.
Robert Cormican and Eoin Cobbe from Forge Robotics are just the twelfth Irish company in history to get accepted into Y-Combinator, one of the most prestigious startup accelerators in the world.
The men, aged 22 and 21, are on track to launch their first product next July after being awarded $500,000 (€423,854) in pre-seed funding from Y-Combinator, that has backed the likes of Airbnb, Stripe and Uber.
“When we got the news on Thursday, we knew we just had to go. [Robert] quit his job, [Eoin] deferred his degree, and we caught the next flight on Saturday to San Francisco.”
The pair met while studying engineering in the University of Galway.
Chief Technology Officer, Robert Cormican, from Taylor’s Hill, worked in Tuam-based Valeo Vision Systems, where he focused on research and development (R&D) in image quality for cameras in cars after studying electronic engineering.
CEO Eoin Cobbe from Laois has a background in mechanical engineering, worked in the steel fabrication and robotics industry and ran a successful manufacturing company before quitting to join Forge Robotics.
Forge Robotics is building AI-powered software to improve the welding capabilities of industrial robots. Its system allows robots to scan a part, interpret its geometry and execute welds even when the set-up is imperfect.
“When a factory buys a robot, the cost of setting up the robot and keeping the robot running is more than the cost of the robot. Forge Robotics turns months of expensive engineering hours into just a matter of hours with our AI Manufacturing System.”
“We’re delighted to stand on the world stage in San Francisco with the most advanced AI development and make our families and our country proud,” enthuses Eoin.
“We’ve our company formed, we’ve a number of engineers interviewed, we’re in the process of having a lease signed for our R&D facility. We’ve hit the ground running and we’re going to fundamentally change the manufacturing industry when we launch our first product in July 2026.”
Pictured: Robert Cormican and Eoin Cobbe from Forge Robotics.