How Trener Robotics is Bringing Physical AI and Software-Defined Control to Industrial Automation

Trener Robotics, building the foundational intelligence layer for software-defined robotics, led by Dr. Asad Tirmizi, Dr. Lars Tingelstad, and others, has raised a $32 million Series A round co-led by Engine Ventures and IAG Capital Partners, with participation from strategic investors Cadence and Geodesic Capital, through Nikon's NFocus Fund. Shanda Ventures, Emergent Ventures, Fitz Gate Ventures, Techable VC, Radius Capital Ventures, and Raisewell Ventures also participated in the round.

Trener Robotics’ Acteris is a robot-agnostic skills platform that converts natural-language task instructions into automation, eliminating rigid coding. Using physical AI across vision, language, and movement, it adapts in real time to changing parts and unstructured production environments.

The platform enables robots to self-learn and operate in complex settings, offering conversational programming, adaptive motions, vision-based part handling, intelligent safety features, and real-time performance dashboards.

“For decades, industrial robotics has been constrained by dynamic complexity, limiting robotic arms to repetitive, single-purpose tasks in controlled settings,” said Dr. Asad Tirmizi, Co-Founder and CEO of Trener Robotics. “Acteris transforms robots into intelligent, adaptable teammates by replacing procedural programming with a control system supporting a growing library of production-ready skills. The platform enables systems integrators and OEMs to deploy and manage robots across diverse industrial environments.”

Momentum Across Europe and the U.S.

Acteris is a shop-floor-proven platform that runs on existing equipment and improves through real production feedback. In 2025, Trener Robotics partnered with 15+ integration partners and integrated top robot brands, including ABB, Universal Robots, and FANUC.

Strategic backing from Nikon and Cadence highlights the platform’s role as a foundational intelligence layer, combining vision, precision, and compute infrastructure to scale Physical AI.

Investors praise the team’s vision and execution. The flexible automation market, growing at 14.3% CAGR, is driven by labor shortages, high-mix production, and rising costs, positioning Trener Robotics to help manufacturers of all sizes expand capabilities as AI reshapes industrial operations.

Trener Robotics, founded in 2024 by Dr. Asad Tirmizi and Dr. Lars Tingelstad, combines over 20 years of robotics and automation expertise.

In 2024, the company won EMO Hannover’s Machine Tool Innovation Award and the ABB AI Startup Challenge for its AI-driven platform that enables robots to learn, adapt, and perform complex tasks with human-like intuition.