Palo Alto startup Syncere raises $11 million for its chore-doing robot lamp
The $2,699 Lume is a floor lamp with arms that folds laundry, tidies up and makes the bed.
Syncere, a Palo Alto startup that makes a robot shaped like a floor lamp, has raised $11 million to build and ship more of them, the company said Tuesday.
The round was led by a16z Speedrun, a startup program run by venture firm Andreessen Horowitz, with Draper Associates, Physical World, Sequel and SeaX Ventures. It is a pre-seed round, the earliest stage of startup funding. Syncere did not disclose its valuation.
What Lume does
Lume, priced from $2,699, works as a room lamp from day one. It also moves around the home and does chores, including folding laundry, tidying and making the bed, Syncere said. Owners can show it how they like a task done. New skills arrive by software update, so the same robot should do more over time.
Syncere's product page lists Lume as about 11 by 15 by 45 inches when folded, with a 365-day return window. The company said it has millions of dollars in pre-orders and is delivering units now.
Robotics researchers Aaron Tan and Angus Fung founded Syncere less than a year ago. Tan, the chief executive, said robots need data from real homes to get reliable, so Syncere built one people want in the house anyway. The money will also expand manufacturing and new commercial uses.
Source: Syncere news release via Business Wire, Nov. 3, 2026; Syncere product page (syncere.com)