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Rise Robotics

Techstars '12

Boston, US · Founded 2011 · 17 employees on LinkedIn · 4 known investors

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RISE Robotics develops RISE® Cylinder, a fluid-free electro-mechanical alternative to hydraulic cylinders for heavy equipment and machinery that uses belt technology to deliver hydraulic-like forces with significantly greater energy efficiency. The company serves industrial machinery manufacturers and operators seeking to reduce energy consumption and maintenance costs in equipment ranging from liftgates to construction machinery.

Advanced ManufacturingCleantechDeep TechHardwareRobotics

Founders & leadership

Rise Robotics was founded in 2011 by Arron Acosta, Blake Sessions, Toomas Sepp, and Kyle Dell'Aquila.

AAArron Acosta
Arron AcostaCo-Founder, VP of Business Development30 Under 30 2015
BSBlake Sessions
Blake SessionsCo-Founder & Chief Technology OfficerBlake Sessions holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and brings expertise in product design, mechanism development, and design for manufacturing. As co-founder and CTO of Rise Robotics, he leads development of electro-mechanical alternatives to hydraulic systems for industrial machinery.30 Under 30 2015
TSToomas Sepp
Toomas SeppCo-Founder & Chief EngineerToomas Sepp studied mechanical engineering at MIT with a focus on precision machine design and product development. He previously worked on robotics projects including humanoid and autonomous systems at Vecna, and is now co-founder and chief engineer at Rise Robotics, which develops electro-mechanical alternatives to hydraulic cylinders.
KDKyle Dell'Aquila
Kyle Dell'AquilaCo-Founder & Head of Industrial Design & Customer Experience
HSHiten Sonpal
Hiten SonpalChief Executive OfficerHe has held engineering, product, and leadership roles spanning market research, product development, manufacturing, and P&L management across robotics and technology companies, with experience shipping products across multiple SKUs and platforms.

Investors · 4

Decisive Pointlisted by Decisive PointWashington · $500K – $1M

How we know: the VCSheet dataset · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us

Techstarslisted by TechstarsBoulder · $220K

How we know: the Techstars portfolio · funding news · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us

The Engine Ventureslisted by The Engine VenturesCambridge

How we know: the VCSheet dataset · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us

Related companies · 2

Agility RoboticsAgility Robotics develops and deploys humanoid robots for warehouse automation and logistics operations. The company manufactures commercial robots that move packages and totes in distribution centers.
Raise RoboticsRaise Robotics builds a mobile robotic automation platform for construction job sites and industrial environments, starting with curtainwall bracket installation and expanding into layout, drilling, and scanning applications. It works with contractors, factories, and unions in the United States to automate repetitive, physically demanding work at height.

Companies working in the same space as Rise Robotics.

Non-dilutive funding · 5 SBIR/STTR awards

Federal grants — no equity taken
AgencyPhaseYearAmount
U.S. Air ForceAir ForcePhase II2023$1.2M
U.S. Air ForceAir ForcePhase II2022$1.7M
U.S. Air ForceAir ForcePhase II2022$1.2M
U.S. Air ForceAir ForcePhase II2020$748.8K
U.S. Air ForceAir ForcePhase I2019$49.8K

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.

Frequently asked questions

What does Rise Robotics do?
RISE Robotics develops RISE® Cylinder, a fluid-free electro-mechanical alternative to hydraulic cylinders for heavy equipment and machinery that uses belt technology to deliver hydraulic-like forces with significantly greater energy efficiency. The company serves industrial machinery manufacturers and operators seeking to reduce energy consumption and maintenance costs in equipment ranging from liftgates to construction machinery.
Who founded Rise Robotics?
Rise Robotics was founded by Arron Acosta, Blake Sessions, Toomas Sepp, Kyle Dell'Aquila in 2011.
Who are Rise Robotics's investors?
Rise Robotics's investors include D3VC, Decisive Point, Techstars, The Engine Ventures.
Where is Rise Robotics headquartered?
Rise Robotics is headquartered in Boston, US.