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Gecko Robotics
YC W16Pittsburgh, US · Founded 2016 · Delaware corporation · 230 employees · Hiring · 55 known investors
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Gecko Robotics builds robots equipped with sensors and cameras to inspect industrial structures like boilers for structural defects, replacing dangerous manual inspections at height. The company serves industrial facilities that need to inspect large equipment and infrastructure.
Also known as Gecko
Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (W16)
Gecko Robotics was founded in 2016 by Jake Loosararian and Troy Demmer.
Board
Investors · 55
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Also in the syndicate · 3
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements$170.7M disclosed across 3 of 5 rounds · 2018–2026
- Undisclosed amountSeries DApr 2026
Cox Enterprises (lead), Founders Fund (lead), USIT, XN, Y Combinator
Source ↗ - Undisclosed amountSeries CJan 2024
Founders Fund, US Innovative Technology Fund (USIT)
Source ↗
▶$121.5MraisedJun 2025 · 29 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Gaetano CrupiDirector
- Troy DemmerExecutive Officer, Director
- Mark Jake LoosararianExecutive Officer, Director
- Andrew DavisDirector
- Trae StephensDirector
- Offering amount
- $139.9M
- Amount sold
- $121.5M
- First sale
- May 2025
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$40MraisedDec 2019 · 32 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Mark KvammeDirector
- Mark Jacob LoosararianExecutive Officer, Director
- Troy DemmerExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $40M
- Amount sold
- $40M
- First sale
- Nov 2019
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2015
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$9.1MraisedApr 2019 · 36 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Troy DemmerExecutive Officer, Director
- Mark Jacob LoosararianExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $9.1M
- Amount sold
- $9.1M
- First sale
- Jun 2018
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2015
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
The YC application· Winter 2016 batch
Alumni Q&A
- How did your company get started? (i.e., How did the founders meet? How did you come up with the idea? How did you decide to be a founder?)
- The two founders, Troy and Jake, met at Grove City College near Pittsburgh, where they lived in the same dorm and played sports together. After Jake initially bootstrapped Gecko on his own, the two reconnected around a shared goal of building a robotics company for the built world.
- How did you decide to apply to Y Combinator? What was your experience applying, going through the batch, and fundraising at demo day?
- Jake was not aware of YC before applying. In fall 2016, the founders met Kevin Hale during a Pittsburgh recruiting visit and discussed how Gecko could scale; the company was generating revenue but not yet focused on fundraising or building a scalable business. They applied shortly after, and during the batch they turned down an acquisition offer to continue building the company.
- How have you kept in touch with the YC community and continued to use YC resources & programs since the batch ended?
- The founders have stayed connected mainly through Kevin Hale, Jared Friedman, Sam Altman, and Jon Levy.
- What's the history of your company from getting started until the present day? What were the big inflection points?
- Jake built a wall-climbing ultrasonic testing robot in 2012, and the company began generating revenue soon after without a clear path to scale. Going through YC and later declining acquisition offers and investments just before demo day were key turning points; the company now works with large energy providers as well as the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy.
- What is the core problem you are solving? Why is this a big problem? What made you decide to work on it?
- The founders are addressing the failure and downtime of aging physical infrastructure such as power plants, which operators had treated as an unavoidable cost. Jake identified the problem during a college visit to a power plant, and the founders committed the company to using robotics to inspect and maintain critical physical assets.
Summarized from the founders' answers on their Y Combinator profile.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Gecko Robotics develops robotic inspection hardware and accompanying software for owners and operators of critical physical infrastructure. Its fleet of robots and sensors collects high-fidelity measurements from industrial assets, and the data is aggregated in the company's software platform, Cantilever, which consolidates inspection findings into a single operational view for an organization. The company positions the combination of robotics and AI as a way to improve operations, optimize capital spending and extend asset life across the build, sustain and modernize phases of an asset's lifecycle.
The company works across steel, mining, pulp and paper, defense, oil and gas, and power industries, and states it has more than ten years of experience and has analyzed thousands of assets. Defense is a prominent line of business: Gecko highlights work with the U.S. Navy on ship maintenance and readiness, including a $71M agreement announced in March 2026 targeting 80% fleet readiness by 2027, and a January 2026 collaboration with Trident intended to raise defense production throughput by 40%.
Business model
Gecko provides robotic inspection services and sensor-derived data together with a subscription-style software platform, Cantilever, sold to industrial and defense asset owners; contracts include large program deals such as a $71M U.S. Navy agreement and multi-part agreements with ADNOC.
Traction
Company states 10+ years of experience and thousands of assets analyzed; disclosed commercial milestones include a $71M U.S. Navy deal (March 2026), a January 2026 production partnership with Trident, and three agreements with ADNOC signed in November 2025.
Latest developments
In late 2025 and 2026, Gecko signed three agreements with ADNOC covering Cantilever deployment, robotics expansion across energy assets and UAE training programs (November 2025); announced a collaboration with Trident to increase U.S. Navy production throughput (January 2026); and announced a $71M deal to reduce U.S. Navy maintenance delays (March 2026). The company and its executives also featured in commentary on industrial data and AI in outlets including Fortune, CNN, the World Economic Forum and The Washington Post.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography
Market position
Presents itself as a provider of AI and robotics for the "built world," serving essential industries and the U.S. defense industrial base; media coverage frames the company within a broader push to rebuild American industrial capacity.
Emphasizes ownership of the data-collection layer — robots and sensors capturing physical measurements directly from assets — as the input to its AI software, arguing that AI applied to critical infrastructure requires proprietary physical data rather than models alone.
Technology
Robots and sensor payloads that generate high-fidelity physical measurement data from industrial assets, combined with the Cantilever software platform that unifies inspection data and applies AI to produce asset-health insights and decision support.
Go-to-market
Direct enterprise and government sales, including national energy company agreements (ADNOC) and defense contracts and partnerships (U.S. Navy, Trident), supported by published customer references, press releases and media commentary.
Owners and operators of critical industrial infrastructure in steel, mining, pulp and paper, oil and gas, and power, plus defense customers including the U.S. Navy and the American defense industrial base.
Geography
Headquartered in the United States with U.S. defense and industrial customers, and expansion in the United Arab Emirates through agreements with ADNOC including UAE national training programs.
Compiled by commissioned research from 1 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Founder mafia
3 people who came through Gecko Robotics went on to found or lead other companies.
Related companies · 8
Companies working in the same space as Gecko Robotics.
Non-dilutive funding · 3 SBIR/STTR awards
Federal grants — no equity taken| Agency | Phase | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Air ForceAir Force | Phase II | 2022 | $2.4M |
| U.S. Air ForceAir Force | Phase II | 2022 | $1.5M |
| U.S. Air ForceAir Force | Phase I | 2019 | $50K |
Source: SBIR.gov award data (U.S. Small Business Administration). SBIR/STTR awards are competitive federal R&D grants and contracts — non-dilutive capital alongside any venture rounds above.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsGecko Robotics announced a $71M deal aimed at slashing U.S. Navy maintenance delays and increasing readiness, applying AI and robotics toward a goal of 80% fleet readiness by 2027.
$71M source ↗
Gecko Robotics and Trident announced a collaboration to apply AI and robotics to increase defense production throughput by 40% and support the American Defense Industrial Base.
ADNOC and Gecko Robotics signed three agreements to deploy the Cantilever platform, expand robotics use across energy assets, and launch UAE national training programs.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 2
corporate structureIn the news
▸Research sources · 1
primary sources listed
- Gecko Roboticsgeckorobotics.com · web
1 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Gecko Robotics do?
- Gecko Robotics pairs inspection robots and sensors with its Cantilever software to assess industrial and defense asset health.
- Who founded Gecko Robotics?
- Gecko Robotics was founded by Jake Loosararian, Troy Demmer in 2016.
- Who are Gecko Robotics's investors?
- Gecko Robotics's investors include Alpha Partners, Base Venture Management, Inc., Cox Enterprises, Cubit Capital, Drive Capital, Fifth Down Capital, Formula VC, Four Cities and 44 more.
- How much funding has Gecko Robotics raised?
- Gecko Robotics has disclosed $170.7M raised across 3 of its 5 known rounds.
- Where is Gecko Robotics headquartered?
- Gecko Robotics is headquartered in Pittsburgh, US.