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Tribe of Robots: Hard-Won Lessons from 25 Robotics Startups
Hardcover
Business GeneralTechnology & Engineering
Publisher: Boring Sage
Published: Apr 20 2026
Pages: 552
Weight: 2.09
Height: 1.38 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
Robotics is one of the most unforgiving arenas for entrepreneurs. Most robotics startups fail within the first few years of launch, yet hundreds of founders and engineers enter this space every year, often unaware of the risks that push even well-funded and exceptionally talented teams into the so-called valley of death.
This book examines why.Why do some robotics startups succeed while most fail?
Drawing on years of research and firsthand experience, building and scaling robotic systems across the U.S., the U.K., and Australia, working with startups and Fortune 100 clients, the author examines the approaches adopted by 25 robotics companies and their founders to strategically navigate these risks that decimate most startups in this arena.
From warehouse robots powering global logistics networks to delivery robots serving university campuses, and from industrial quadrupeds monitoring nuclear plants and oil refineries to the emerging wave of humanoid robots entering modern factories, these stories reveal some of the hardest decisions founders must make to survive in this industry.
Those decisions span every layer of the venture: developing long-term capital strategies, identifying untapped markets, securing early adopters, building sustainable revenue streams, forging strategic partnerships, and scaling production. This book examines those decisions through case studies spanning companies such as Boston Dynamics, AutoStore, Universal Robots, Mayfield Robotics, Jibo, Serve Robotics, UBTECH Robotics, AgiBot, 1X Tech., Figure AI, and others, uncovering challenges these founders confronted, the choices they made, and the strategies that ultimately determined the fate of these ventures.
Behind every successful robotics company lies a series of difficult decisions that must be made. This book distills those decisions and the underlying principles, offering concrete guidance for the next generation of founders, engineers, and researchers: people brave enough to build robots in the real world.
About the AuthorPrathamesh Khedekar is the founder of Boring Sage, an ed-tech company focused on bringing deep professional expertise in emerging technologies to engineers and founders. He has built mission-critical systems for the governments of the U.S., U.K., Norway, and the Netherlands, and autonomous robotic systems for Fortune 100 companies globally. An Einstein Visa recipient, his work has been featured in The San Diego Union-Tribune, Security Magazine, and American Banker. He writes and teaches at the intersection of emerging technologies and business applications, helping founders and engineers bring next-generation products to life.
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