Opentrons Labworks Raises $40 Million for Robotics
The funding supports the production of automated liquid-handling robots used in pharmaceutical research laboratories.
Updated on Oct. 29, 2026 in Robotics
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Opentrons Labworks has secured $40 million in Series E funding to expand its laboratory automation infrastructure. The company manufactures benchtop liquid-handling robots currently used by 90% of the world's top 20 pharmaceutical companies.
Why it matters
The investment enables Opentrons to scale the production of its robotics, software, and data infrastructure tools. This expansion supports the growing demand for automated, high-throughput experimentation in global life science research.
Opentrons has deployed 11,000 robots across 80 countries. Their hardware, including the Flex robot, uses motorized pipettes and robotic grippers to automate the transfer and manipulation of lab samples.
The players
Opentrons Labworks
A developer of automated, benchtop liquid-handling robotics for global life science and pharmaceutical laboratories.
Avego
A venture firm that led the Series E funding round for Opentrons Labworks.
BroadOak Capital Partners
An investment firm that participated in the Series E funding round for Opentrons Labworks.
The details
Opentrons systems operate as benchtop robotic platforms that automate repetitive laboratory tasks. The architecture utilizes motorized pipettes to handle liquid transfers between samples with high precision. For more complex workflows, the Flex model incorporates an optional robotic gripper that physically transports experimental plates across the workspace, replacing manual intervention.
Timeline
2014: Opentrons Labworks was founded.
October 29, 2026: The company announced its $40 million Series E funding round.
The Tech Race
Opentrons is scaling its production to maintain its footprint within 90% of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies. This funding round strengthens its position against incumbents in the laboratory robotics market by increasing the availability of its automated data and software tools.
Researchers currently using Opentrons equipment should expect increased support for software and data infrastructure integrations. The funding will likely accelerate the rollout of new automated workflow capabilities for existing lab systems over the coming months.
The takeaway
The $40 million capital injection positions Opentrons to accelerate the transition from manual to automated liquid handling across global pharmaceutical workflows. Industry observers should watch for the next version of the company's software suite to see how it integrates with these robotic systems.
Further reading
For broader trends in lab automation and mechanical systems, visit the Robotics section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by SiliconANGLE.
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