Tokyo-based O-ID, a robotics startup, has raised a US$1.2 million pre-seed round for modular humanoid robots designed to be repaired on the factory floor in minutes rather than taken offline for months.

The startup said it was backed by Chicago-based TAWANI Ventures, accelerator Techstars, and Hustle Fund.

It also received backing from angel investors, including the founders of Humanoid Guide, whom it described as early investors in robotics company 1X.

O-ID said it had filed a provisional US patent on its modular connector technology and was building its robots to meet US National Defense Authorization Act requirements as it planned to ship the robots to the US.

The company was founded in 2025 by Stian Jakobsen and Simon Gormuzov, who met at Waseda University in Tokyo. O-ID also said it had signed letters of intent with Japanese manufacturers.

🔗 Source: O-ID