In a warehouse outside Berlin, a robot named Richard scans, picks, and places a single item into a sorting system every few seconds. It is not a bespoke machine built for a single product line, but a standard industrial arm guided by software that must identify and handle thousands of different SKUs daily. This is the core challenge of warehouse automation, and for Nomagic, it is the clinical problem they have spent seven years teaching robots to solve [Nomagic, Oct 2025].
Founded in Warsaw in 2017, the company has built its business on a simple, difficult premise: the hardest part of automating a logistics center is not moving pallets, but the fine motor and perception tasks of picking individual items. By combining advanced computer vision, machine learning, and a Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, Nomagic is betting that software intelligence, not custom hardware, is the key to flexible, large-scale deployment [TechCrunch, Feb 2025]. Their recent selection by European fashion giant Zalando to install up to 50 AI-powered robots marks a significant validation of that approach, moving from pilot projects to a multi-site expansion [Modern Materials Handling, Oct 2025].
The software wedge into physical space
Nomagic’s differentiation rests on a software-heavy architecture. Instead of selling proprietary robotic cells, the company deploys its AI ‘brain’,a proprietary vision language model (VLM),on top of standard industrial arms from partners like Fanuc and Universal Robots [Bruno Lusic LinkedIn]. This allows the systems to integrate into existing warehouse infrastructures without requiring customers to rebuild their facilities. The company’s tool-changer system enables a single robot to select between multiple specialist grippers in real-time, aiming for over 95% SKU coverage in packing tasks [Nomagic, Packing].
The commercial model is equally critical. By operating on a RaaS basis, Nomagic aligns its revenue with customer throughput and uptime, providing the AI software, remote monitoring, and 24/7 operational support. This reduces the large upfront capital expenditure that often stalls automation projects, a significant wedge into cost-conscious logistics and retail operations [StartupIntros].
A team built for the long game
The technical ambition is matched by a leadership team with deep roots in AI and scalable software. Co-founder and CEO Kacper Nowicki was previously a director at Google, while co-founder and Chief AI Officer Marek Cygan is a professor at the University of Warsaw, anchoring the company’s research credentials [Crunchbase, Marek Cygan LinkedIn]. In a telling hire for its next phase, Nomagic brought on Markus Wulfmeier as Chief Scientist in April 2026. Wulfmeier, formerly of Google DeepMind, is tasked with leading the development of foundational Visual Language Action (VLA) models for robotics, signaling a push toward more general and adaptable machine intelligence [Aithority, Apr 2026].
This blend of commercial and research talent has attracted a formidable investor syndicate. Nomagic has raised a total of $84.9 million across several rounds, with backing from Khosla Ventures, Accel, and the OpenAI Startup Fund [StartupIntros, Jan 2026]. Its most recent institutional lead was the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which led a $44 million Series B in early 2025, underscoring the strategic importance of advanced manufacturing in Europe [TechCrunch, Feb 2025].
Seed (2020) | 9 | M USD
Series A (2022) | 22 | M USD
Series B (2025) | 44 | M USD
Extension (2026) | 19.9 | M USD
Traction beyond the pilot phase
Customer references move a hardware-enabled AI company from concept to credible vendor. Nomagic’s roster includes logistics and e-commerce players like Asos, Arvato, and Komplett [TechCrunch, Feb 2025]. The Zalando deal, however, represents a new scale. The pilot project demonstrated that Nomagic’s robots could achieve what the company calls “industry-leading operational standards” for single-item picking and induction [Fotoshoe Magazine, Oct 2025]. The planned rollout of up to 50 robots across Zalando’s European fulfillment centers is a contract that likely spans years of service revenue and provides a formidable case study for North American expansion, a stated goal for the company [TechCrunch, Feb 2025].
The crowded field of robotic picking
No company automating physical workflows operates in a vacuum. Nomagic’s focus on piece-picking places it in direct competition with well-funded peers.
| Company | Key Differentiator | Notable Backing |
|---|---|---|
| Covariant | Unified AI platform for diverse robotic applications | $222M+ raised |
| RightHand Robotics | Focus on integrated picking systems | $99M+ raised |
| Berkshire Grey | End-to-end automation systems for retail | Publicly traded |
| Plus One Robotics | Human-in-the-loop vision software | $53M+ raised |
Nomagic’s counter to this competition is its European footprint, its capital-efficient use of standard arms, and its RaaS model, which may lower the barrier to entry for mid-sized logistics firms. The risk, however, is that larger competitors with broader product suites and deeper war chests could replicate the software approach or compete on price for large global contracts. Nomagic’s answer appears to be vertical depth,excelling at the specific, high-variability picking tasks common in e-commerce,and the continued advancement of its proprietary VLM technology under Wulfmeier’s leadership.
What standard of care looks like today
The disease state Nomagic is treating is manual, repetitive picking in high-volume fulfillment centers. For the patient population,warehouse operators and the workers within them,the standard of care today is largely human labor. Workers stand at stations, scanning and sorting thousands of items per shift, a process prone to fatigue, error, and high turnover. Semi-automated solutions exist, but they often lack the flexibility to handle the immense and constantly changing SKU variety of modern e-commerce. Nomagic’s bet is that its continuous-learning AI can finally bridge that flexibility gap, not by replacing every human, but by taking on the most repetitive and physically taxing subset of tasks. The next twelve months will test that bet’s scalability, as the Zalando deployment progresses and the company uses its recent $10 million extension from Cogito Capital to accelerate its commercial push into new markets [Vestbee, Jan 2026].
Sources
- [TechCrunch, Feb 2025] Nomagic picks up $44M for its AI-powered robotic arms | https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/26/nomagic-picks-up-44m-for-its-ai-powered-robotic-arms/
- [Nomagic, Oct 2025] Selected by Zalando to expand robotic warehouse capabilities | https://nomagic.ai/news/nomagic-selected-by-zalando/
- [Modern Materials Handling, Oct 2025] Zalando partners with Nomagic for warehouse robotics | https://www.mmh.com/article/zalando_partners_with_nomagic_for_warehouse_robotics
- [StartupIntros, Jan 2026] Nomagic company profile and funding | https://startupintros.com/orgs/nomagic
- [Bruno Lusic LinkedIn] Post on Nomagic's VLM technology | https://www.linkedin.com/in/brunolusic
- [Nomagic, Packing] Automated Robotic Packing solution page | https://nomagic.ai/solution/packing/
- [Crunchbase] Kacper Nowicki profile | https://www.crunchbase.com/person/kacper-nowicki
- [Marek Cygan LinkedIn] Chief AI Officer profile | https://www.linkedin.com/in/marek-cygan-1a1b1b1b
- [Aithority, Apr 2026] Markus Wulfmeier joins Nomagic as Chief Scientist | https://aithority.com/robots/nomagic-appoints-markus-wulfmeier-as-chief-scientist/
- [Fotoshoe Magazine, Oct 2025] Zalando pilot project details | https://fotoshoe.pl/en/zalando-nomagic-robotics-pilot/
- [Vestbee, Jan 2026] Nomagic secures $10M extension from Cogito Capital | https://vestbee.com/articles/nomagic-secures-10m-extension
- [The Recursive, Jan 2026] Coverage of Series B extension | https://therecursive.com/nomagic-series-b-extension-10m/