How I Sold My Robotics Startup
Mark Pavlyukovskyy and Hendrik Remigereau host TechMates, the NZVC podcast. The guest on this episode is David Inggs, Co-Founder of Rocos, and it went out on 3 April 2025.
David Inggs went from catching snakes in South Africa to co-founding Rocos, acquired by DroneDeploy, which solved remote control of robot fleets at scale. He explains why most robotics startups fail, the playbook for landing oil, gas, and mining clients, and how Rocos was bought without ever pitching investors. He also gives a blunt view on humanoid robots and the risk cloud providers pose to startups.
“Robots are still dumb.”David Inggs
- The gold rush trap: why most robotics startups fail, and how Rocos survived.
- How to sell to enterprises: the playbook for landing oil, gas, and mining clients.
- Acquisition secrets: how Rocos got bought without ever pitching to investors.
- Why humanoids are overhyped, for now.
robotics, Rocos, DroneDeploy, Boston Dynamics, AI, deep tech, acquisitions