Robotics startup secures pre-seed funding for technology that inspects hazardous environments
A soft robot that can “grow” into confined spaces and carry sensors where traditional inspection methods fall short may sound almost impossible – but that is exactly what XiniX AI has developed. The company has now secured pre-seed funding to bring the technology closer to market.
Every year, workers enter confined spaces that are dangerous for humans to access — pressure vessels, distillation columns, underground infrastructure. XiniX AI aims to change that with Sprout – a soft robot that grows through narrow and complex structures, reaching areas that are difficult or unsafe to access.
“There are confined spaces throughout industry — in oil and gas, chemical plants, nuclear facilities, silos — where human entry carries enormous risk. Our technology makes it possible to inspect these assets with no human in the loop, while generating the kind of structured data that enables predictive maintenance at scale.” — Eric Herrero, CTO & Co-Founder, XiniX AI.
The investment comes from Actia Partners, a specialist London-based InfraTech investor known for its long-term partnership approach with early-stage companies at commercialisation stage.
“This investment allows us to accelerate development and bring the robot into real industrial environments. It also enables us to expand the team and hire a new colleague to work full-time here in Odense,” says Eric Herrero.
Growing industry interest
Over the past year, XiniX AI has run pilots with international industrial partners across oil & gas, inspection and certification, chemicals, and construction — with several projects already underway and further deployments in the pipeline.
“When industrial operators see Sprout in action, the value proposition becomes immediately clear. It solves a problem that no existing solution addresses — and it does so in a way that is safe, scalable, and data-driven.” — Jaskaran Sandhu, CEO & Co-Founder, XiniX AI.
Beyond eliminating the need for human entry, the technology delivers structured, high-quality data on asset condition, feeding directly into AI-based defect detection and maintenance insights.
Incubator support has accelerated development
Originally founded in Belgium, XiniX AI joined the Odense Robotics StartUp Fund incubator at the Danish Technological Institute in 2025, where the company has gained access to technical support, testing facilities, and a strong robotics network.
According to the company, the incubator has played an important role in its development.
“The Odense Robotics environment gave us infrastructure we couldn’t have built alone, and a network that’s put us in front of the right industrial partners at the right time,” says Jaskaran.
The company aims to have its first robotic units operating with customers within the year, while continuing development from its base in Odense.
Sandhu.
About XiniX AI
- The company originates from a research project developed for the XPRIZE Rainforest competition.
- XiniX AI is a Belgian-Danish deep-tech startup developing soft robotics and AI for inspection of industrial confined and hazardous spaces.
- Its products include Sprout, a vine-inspired soft inspection robot, and XiniX Forge, an AI platform for automated defect detection and maintenance insights.
- The technology enables navigation through complex structures and deployment of sensors where traditional solutions cannot reach.
- The company serves oil & gas, nuclear, refinery, chemical, and underground infrastructure sectors via a Robot-as-a-Service model.
- Read more: XiniX AI | Soft Robot Inspection for Confined Industrial Spaces