ExRobotics, the Netherlands-based leader in explosion-proof autonomous inspection robots, has closed the first tranche of up to €7 million in growth capital, marking a significant step toward scaling its global inspection-robot fleets across the energy and petrochemical sectors. The investment round is led by FORWARD.one, with continued backing from Rotterdam Port Fund, while other strategic investors remain in discussion.
Already operating at cash-flow break-even, the company plans to leverage the investment to expand its Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) deployments, enhance software architecture, and increase manufacturing capacity. ExRobotics’ ExR-2 units are designed for high-risk, hard-to-reach industrial environments, performing autonomous inspections, methane detection, safety checks and continuous data acquisition. With more than 100 deployments across diverse climates—from the tropics to the Arctic—the robots support operators in reducing emissions, improving uptime and strengthening industrial safety.
Mark Mildon, CEO of ExRobotics, said, “Our industry is at an inflection point. Our core customers are scaling fast, and we’re investing to grow with them. FORWARD.one brings the right experience in scaling industrial technologies and intuitively understands the challenges we face. Together, we will accelerate our ability to help customers operate more safely, sustainably and efficiently.”
Arjan Göbel, Partner at FORWARD.one, added, “We firmly believe in the role of autonomous robots in solving real, high-impact problems for the oil and gas sector. ExRobotics stands out through its proven deployments, deep certification expertise and clear customer value. The company turns safety, emissions and uptime into measurable performance. That’s our kind of business.”
David van Loo, Investment Director of Rotterdam Port Fund, noted, “Over the past years, a solid foundation has been built in terms of technology, team and customer relationships, positioning ExRobotics exceptionally well to meet the growing global demand for certified autonomous inspection robots. We are very pleased to join forces with FORWARD.one to enable the next phase of scaling.”
The investment arrives at a pivotal moment for the industrial NDT sector, where autonomous inspection and continuous monitoring are becoming essential. With stricter regulatory requirements for methane emissions, an increasing focus on operational safety in explosive zones, and the global shift toward data-driven integrity management, demand for certified robotic inspection systems continues to surge.
Over the next 24 months, ExRobotics plans to expand its RaaS fleet globally, grow its software capabilities from single-stack integration to fleet-manager-agnostic architecture, extend certification for new regions and emerging energy environments—such as hydrogen—and boost manufacturing output to meet rising demand.
