SEED puts $350K into solar robotics startup Cosmic ahead of Y Combinator round
What's the deal? SEED InnovationsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, an AIM-quoted investing company, has invested $350,000 in Cosmic RoboticsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a US infrastructure robotics startup. The investment came via a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE), drawn from SEED's existing cash resources.
What's the endgame? Cosmic builds AI-powered robotic systems to automate large-scale infrastructure installation, starting with utility-scale solar. Its flagship platform, Cosmic-1A, handles and installs large-format solar panels using AI, stereo vision, and autonomous navigation. The company says its systems can cut labour costs and more than double deployment throughput.
Why now? The SAFE is timed to convert on the same terms as any raise following Cosmic's participation in Y Combinator's Summer 2026 cohort. The instrument is uncapped and undiscounted, with a most favoured nation provision.
The numbers: Cosmic reported a loss of $1.8 million and net assets of $1.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2025. Its robotic systems are already deployed on live job sites in the US solar market.
What could go wrong? Cosmic sits at an early stage of commercial adoption, and the SAFE's terms depend on a future round that has yet to close.
Jim Mellon, non-executive chair of SEED, said Cosmic is "tackling a critical labour bottleneck slowing large-scale solar installation." He added that companies "combining AI, robotics and immediate commercial applicability, will define the next generation of industrial automation."
The signal: The deal reflects growing investor appetite for automation aimed at renewable energy buildout, where labour shortages remain a key constraint. Cosmic's Y Combinator acceptance — alongside alumni such as Airbnb, DoorDash, and Coinbase — signals rising momentum in the infrastructure robotics sector.
Read more: Investegate
Image credit: NASA Hubble
