Adaptronics, a Bologna-based DeepTech startup specialising in electro-adhesive grippers for robotic systems with industrial automation and space applications, today announced the closing of a €3.15 million round.
The round was led by European venture capital fund, 360 Capital, alongside Galaxia, the Technology Transfer Hub for Aerospace, created by CDP Venture Capital’s Tech Transfer fund together with Obloo Ventures, which had already invested in the pre-Seed round in 2023.
“This round marks a significant milestone for Adaptronics,” explains Lorenzo Agostini, CEO of Adaptronics. “It shows investors’ trust in our vision of a DeepTech company developing an enabling technology that spans multiple industries. It will help us speed up our technological innovation path, expand our facilities with a pilot plant, and strengthen the international reach of our products.”
This funding million round for Adaptronics is better understood when placed within the broader 2025 context of European investment into robotics and automation ventures.
In Germany, assemblean secured €1.8 million to advance its manufacturing-automation platform, while Unchained Robotics raised €8.5 million to scale its automation-matching system for manufacturers. Also from Germany, Sereact obtained €25 million to develop advanced robotics hardware and expand internationally.
Elsewhere in Europe, Norway’s Saga Robotics raised €9.5 million to grow its fleet of autonomous farm robots, and Switzerland’s mimic secured €13.8 million to deploy dexterous robotic manipulation systems.
Against this backdrop, Adaptronics’ €3.15 million funding represents a notable Italian contribution to Europe’s DeepTech automation landscape. Its electro-adhesive gripping technology situates it alongside continental peers advancing intelligent hardware and industrial automation.
With no other Italian automation startups reported by EU-Startups in 2025, Adaptronics stands out as a key national example of investment in next-generation robotics and space-applicable technologies.
“We are thrilled to back Adaptronics and its exceptional team at the intersection of advanced electronic materials and automated systems. We believe Adaptronics’ electro-adhesive layer for object handling has the potential to redefine industrial automation standards.
“Adaptronics breakthrough technology, rooted in research excellence and built for industrial scalability, perfectly embodies 360 Capital’s vision to support DeepTech ventures reshaping Europe’s industrial landscape,” adds Alessandro Zaccaria, Partner at 360 Capital.
Adaptronics is a DeepTech startup founded in 2022 as a spin-off of the University of Bologna by Lorenzo Agostini (CEO), Camilla Conti (COO) and Rocco Vertechy (R&D Lead). It develops adaptive mechatronic devices for gripping objects of any shape and material, both on Earth and in space.
Its proprietary technology, called the Electro Active Adhesive Layer (EAAL), enables versatile and high-efficiency electrostatic gripping with integrated tactile sensing capabilities. The technology is designed for applications in robotics, industrial automation, agritech, and the space economy.
The EAAL technology allows robots and automated machines to reportedly grab and move any object with extreme versatility (enabling a controllable adhesive gripping force on objects of any shape, size, material and weight up to several kilograms), much higher speed (activation and release in less than 10 ms) and “unprecedented” energy efficiency (up to 1000 times more efficient than standard systems).
Based on electrostatic forces and integrated tactile feedback, EAAL technology detects contact and proximity to objects, ensuring precise and gentle manipulation, and eliminating the need for pneumatic, mechanical or magnetic systems.
Furthermore, with only two components in the product (an electronic control module and a replaceable gripping system), operational and maintenance costs are strongly reduced.
On the space front, in 2024 Adaptronics completed the incubation program of ESA BIC Turin, managed by I3P, the Innovative Companies Incubator of Politecnico di Torino, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), the Italian Space Agency (ASI), Politecnico di Torino, and the LINKS Foundation.
The €3.15 million raised will support Adaptronics’ growth by strengthening its production capacities, accelerating European market expansion, and consolidating its organisational structure.
“We are very pleased to have believed in Adaptronics from the very beginning: its proprietary EAAL technology represents a true paradigm shift in robotic manipulation, opening up concrete new application scenarios in increasingly crucial sectors, from industrial automation to space. The team has demonstrated a clear vision, deep expertise, and excellent execution capabilities, and we believe it has the potential to make Adaptronics a continental leader in the field,” outlined Claudia Pingue, Head of the Tech Transfer Fund at CDP Venture Capital.
Adaptronics says their technology addresses critical needs across multiple sectors: from industrial automation and packaging, where speed and reliability is fundamental, to space operations, where the technology can be used for debris removal or satellite maintenance.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/11/adaptive-grippers-allowing-robots-to-grasp-any-object-drives-e3-15-million-investment-in-italys-adaptronics/
