Davide Labolani is the Co-Founder and CEO of HIRO Robotics, a deep-tech startup revolutionising waste treatment by integrating robotics with advanced machine vision systems.
Davide’s career began as a Robotics R&D Engineer at IRT Jules Verne, where he gained hands-on experience in cutting-edge robotics research and development.
Davide holds a degree in Advanced Robotics and Electronic Engineering & Information Technologies from the Università degli Studi di Genova and Centrale Nantes.
In 2018, you co-founded HIRO Robotics, which operates at the intersection of robotics and industrial vision systems. What motivated you to start the company?
Davide: HIRO Robotics was founded at the end of 2018 by the four of us, all co-founders. After graduating, we each pursued research careers abroad, three in France and one in Germany, working in industrial research centres dedicated to translating academic results into real-world applications. However, after about 18 months, we realised that although our work was highly technical, it lacked tangible impact.
That led us to ask: what if we tried to build something of our own? At that point, we weren’t even thinking in terms of launching a company; we just wanted our work in robotics to have more meaningful outcomes.
With our contracts nearing their end, and still only 24 years old, we decided to return to Italy and start something from scratch.
Our expertise was in robotic guidance through computer vision, a field undergoing rapid innovation both in hardware and software. We saw an opportunity to bring robotics into unstructured environments, which had remained largely untouched.
While robotics had long been applied in structured manufacturing contexts, we set out to tackle unpredictable, messy environments. Our journey began with about two years of software development and business development. I focused specifically on scouting opportunities, which led to a pivotal meeting with the Iren Group.
They presented us with a challenge related to electrical and electronic equipment waste. When I visited their facility, I immediately recognised a strong match between what we were building, robot control systems, and the harsh, dusty, vibration-heavy environment of their plant. Within six months, we knew: this was the challenge we wanted to take on.
From the left: Davide Labolani, Tomaso Manca, Michele Olivieri and Jacopo Lottero
HIRO Robotics leverages industrial technologies to disrupt the traditionally unchanged field of electronics disposal. Could you elaborate on your business model?
Davide: We focus on robotic disassembly. Unlike assembly, which follows a defined sequence, disassembly is inherently unpredictable. For instance, if you give a robot a television to dismantle, it first needs to scan it, identify key areas like screws or clips, and then operate a robotic arm to remove them safely and effectively.
Our technology specialises in automating small-scale, repetitive, and ergonomically challenging disassembly tasks, still largely performed by hand, to improve efficiency and reduce physical strain on workers.
While some competitors in Europe focus narrowly on specific electronic waste types, we’ve taken a different approach. We’re developing a dynamic software platform that enables robots to adapt to varying waste types.
Our solution isn’t limited to a single product category, it’s scalable. Currently, we work on flat-screen TVs and monitors, and we’ve expanded into telecoms electronics and more complex components like battery packs and electrical panels.
Our goal is to evolve this platform over time rather than starting from scratch for each new application, reducing risk and maximising scalability.
Initially, we adopted a traditional industrial model: selling machines with maintenance contracts, as expected in our sector. But the real value lies in the software.
That’s why we’re shifting to a hybrid model. The hardware sale covers upfront costs, while a recurring software fee gives clients ongoing improvements, such as increased robot speed and the ability to process new materials.
In January 2025, you announced a strategic investment and partnership with Levante Capital. What key milestones has HIRO Robotics reached so far, and what are your plans for the future?
Davide: We entered the electronic waste market in 2020 through a research project, which quickly became commercial when Iren placed an order for a full-scale plant. That early success helped us grow from a four-person team to 15, and led to the installation of two major systems in Italy, each covering around 200 square metres and including multiple robotic cells.
The first plant, delivered to Iren in 2021, focused on flat panel displays. The second, installed in 2024 for A2A in Milan, was similar. Since then, we’ve expanded our offering to include telecom electronics and other segments.
This year, we’ve begun expanding into the European market. We have established a commercial network with partners covering the Iberian Peninsula, the Baltic, Germany, and Poland.
We bootstrapped the company entirely until 2024. At the start, we had no experience with venture capital, we were just four engineers. Our strategy was to generate revenue rather than seek funding right away.
In retrospect, we could have raised capital earlier, but our approach paid off. We now have a very flexible cap table. At the end of 2024, we closed a funding round with Levante Capital to expand our product portfolio and invest in R&D.
Our strategy is to strengthen our presence in Europe and, alongside Levante, begin exploring opportunities in Asia. That region presents significant challenges in terms of volume, but also major investment potential. In many areas, infrastructure is still lacking, which presents a real opportunity to be the first to introduce innovation, rather than having to replace outdated systems, as often happens in Europe.
Looking ahead, we are planning a Series A round in 2026, which may include acquisitions to accelerate product development and reduce risk.
What have been the biggest challenges in your entrepreneurial journey? And what future obstacles do you anticipate for HIRO Robotics?
Davide: We didn’t choose an easy industry; customer education is a big part of what we do. We started without a clear market need in mind, which was risky. We were young and driven, but today I would advise other deep tech founders to carefully consider market fit from day one.
Having cutting-edge technology is great, but it must also generate revenue and be commercially viable. We were fortunate to find our first customer at a moment when morale was starting to dip. That changed everything.
Another major challenge is that deep tech requires time. It takes patience to reach results, win trust, and land early clients. What helped us succeed was our team: four co-founders who have known each other for over 13 years. That foundation of trust is invaluable, especially when you are operating without salaries and facing uncertainty.
If you can, build a founding team early on that shares the vision and is ready for a long-term journey, because deep tech is more demanding than the typical SaaS startup path.
One final question: What is your vision for the future of the robotics industry?
Davide: Robotics and AI are evolving at an incredible pace. It’s difficult to predict precisely where they are headed, but we strongly believe in the bet we have made: automation will increasingly reach unstructured domains.
Waste is one of these domains, an area full of inefficiencies and unmet needs. We expect to see more startups entering similar spaces, not necessarily with revolutionary technologies, but by applying existing ones to overlooked sectors.
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For more info on Hiro Robotics, visit: https://www.hirorobotics.com/