HAX’s automated roofing company Renovate Robotics has announced a $2.5M pre-seed round led by Alley Robotics Ventures with support from SOSV’s HAX, Newlab, Uphonest Capital, and Climate Capital.
Renovate Robotics builds robotic systems that install both asphalt and solar shingles, removing the dangers human contractors face when roofing. Using a winch-based system, a robot tethered to a roof installs shingles methodically in an X, Y axis pattern. Per Renovate, roofs sit at the unique convergence of climate adaptation, climate mitigation, and labor shortages—they are the first line of defense for our homes, and are an increasingly important site where consumers are generating solar energy. Roofing contractors have struggled to keep up with demand, and often cannot recruit and retain a skilled and dependable workforce.
Former HAX associate Dylan Crow, who is now the COO and cofounder of Renovate, told TechCrunch in an interview: “I’ve seen a lot of hard tech startups go through steep inflection points from the inside during my time at SOSV, and the ones that I was always the most drawn towards were climate focused. All of these companies have a vision that was fundamentally disruptive, and I see the same in where we’re headed at Renovate Robotics.”
Renovate plans to work directly with roofing contractors to help them as subcontractors. Eventually, the company plans to switch to a RaaS model, leasing robots to trained contractors who can operate and oversee the robot on site.