Swiss Startup Ascento Raises $4.3M for Autonomous Security Robots to Fill the Shortage of Guards

Ascento has already deployed its robots at large industrial sites.

Swiss startup Ascento has developed autonomous security robots to address the shortage of human security guards, who are often overburdened and prone to errors due to fatigue. Ascento Guards have a wheel-leg design that enables them to cover a variety of terrains and perform repetitive but important tasks such as checking perimeters, scanning for thermal anomalies, detecting fires or floods, and recording property lights, among other things. The robots alert human security guards if they detect a security threat, so they can respond immediately. Ascento has already deployed its robots at large industrial sites. It covered 3,000 km for outdoor security since early this year.

Ascento recently announced that it had raised $4.3 million in funding to scale up its fleet of Ascento Guards. The funding round was led by Wingman Ventures and Playfair Capital, with participation from investors such as Daniel Kottlarz, Ryan Gariepy, Tim Kentley-Klay, the Swiss Innovation Agency, and the European Space Agency incubator ESA BIC. The Swiss startup, which began as a project at ETH Zurich in 2018, has ten employees and is hiring for its sales and operations teams. The company hopes that its robots will help address the shortage of security guards and provide a safer environment for everyone.