RoboTire is a Detroit-based startup that develops robotic systems to automate tire replacement. The company was founded by former Spark Robotics CEO Victor Darolfi. Its underlying technology can change a set of tires in less than 15 minutes, by the company’s count. RoboTire announced a $7.5 million Series A that it says will be used to expand operations in Detroit. The round was led by The Reinalt-Thomas Corporation, the parent of Discount Tire and America’s Tire, and included Automotive Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners and 640 Oxford Ventures. Discount Tire is expected to be among the first adopters and has publicly expressed support for the company’s efforts to reduce wait times and improve customer experience. RoboTire builds automated tire‑changing robotic systems that can remove and install a set of four tires in about 10 minutes, compared with roughly 60 minutes for a human operator. Partnering with Mitsubishi Robotics, the company has designed a system that currently costs about $250,000 and is intended to be licensed to service centers, dealers and other outlets. For pilot customers the company charges roughly $5–$7 per tire, with expected commercial pricing of $10–$15 per tire. RoboTire projects a robot will generate about $10,000 a month, which would pay back the unit cost in around two years. The first pilot partner is Toole's Garage in San Carlos, California, and the company plans to manufacture and assemble systems in Detroit. Founded in October 2018 and coming out of Y Combinator stealth, RoboTire is targeting a larger follow-on round to deploy pilot systems.

Total raised

$9M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Oct 2021