Theker

74 million euros they just got up those responsible for the Barcelona startup Theker. The amount is far from the multimillion-dollar rounds of Silicon Valley AI companies, but it is a vote of confidence for a particularly ambitious project: compete with the Chinese robotics giants from a different perspective. What Theker does. The company was founded in 2022 by Carla Gómez Cano and Jia Qiang Ye Zhu. Unlike traditional industrial robotics, which performs mechanical and repetitive tasks, Theker automates processes where objects constantly change. One of its latest achievements is to automate the process of folding textile garments, an extremely complex task for a robot due to the different textures, thicknesses and materials. A milestone. The financing round obtained by Theker becomes one of the largest venture capital operations in the Spanish technology sector so far this year. The startup, born with the ambition to recover part of the microelectronics production in the West, will use these new resources to expand its production plants in Catalonia, hire talent and accelerate the distribution of its high-precision robotic arms in Europe and the US. This round is added to the one the company obtained in July 2025, which was 18 million euros. Fashion bets on technology. The round is led by the American fund CRV, but Spanish funds such as K Fund, Itnig, Mission and Kibo Ventures also participate. There are striking surprises in the shareholding, which now includes two giants of the fashion world: on the one hand, LVHM. On the other hand, attention, Inditex, which already supported the company in its beginnings. Robots made in Spain. The great contradiction of Theker’s business model is trying to surpass China in terms of price using labor and engineering developed in our country. The European industry has focused on super-specialized and very expensive software or robotics. How to compete with China. Meanwhile, Theker has designed a super-efficient automation architecture that theoretically drastically reduces assembly costs. Their idea is simple: logistical proximity and optimization of algorithms can neutralize the competitive advantage that China has with cheaper labor in its factories. Of humanoid robots, nothing. In an interview they conducted with Itnig, the two co-founders they explained that humanoid robots like the Tesla Optimus are not mechanically prepared to be used industrially: by seeking to be light to walk and use batteries, they use less durable materials and weaker reducers. For industrial applications, where the floors are flat, it is much more efficient to use a robust industrial arm with wheels, capable of operating connected to the power supply uninterruptedly. Humanoid robots, of course, will end up finding their market in household tasks. Artificial vision to adapt to any situation. The real jewel in Theker’s crown is its intelligent automated soldering system for printed circuit boards (PCBs). This company’s robots integrate artificial vision systems (they develop their own Vision-Language Model) and combine them with deep learning algorithms. With these two components, the robots are capable of adapting their movements to the millimeter in real time. Errors under control. This technology, they say, allows imperfections in assembly lines to be corrected without having to stop production. It is an advance that provides operational flexibility to companies that use these robots, since it reduces the rate of defective components to minimum levels. Ideal moment. This financial takeoff of Theker comes at a very significant moment: both Europe, the US and China are seeking their technological sovereignty. Past trade tensions and logistics bottlenecks have demonstrated the risk of outsourcing all hardware. The Barcelona startup proposes a very interesting alternative for Western industries, and benefits from this ambitious trend. Image | UOC In Xataka | Humanoid robotics are striking, but China is clear about which robots make money