Vienna-based robotics startup Silana raises €1.5 million to optimise the clothing production puzzle
Summary
Vienna-based Silana, a startup that has developed the worlds first sewing robot, aiming to counter the precarious working conditions in garment manufacturing, just raised 1.5 million.The round is led by the renowned DeepTech investor SOSV, alongside participation in the hardware accelerator HAX in New York. Nearly a third of produced clothing items cannot be sold and end up being shipped to already overflowing landfills in Africa, explained Michael Hofmannrichter (CEO), highlighting the precarious circumstances in the fashion industry.Founded in 2022, Silana aims to address this issue. Moving production closer to the point of sale not only minimizes lengthy transport by ship or plane but also significantly reduces resource consumption in manufacturing. We work with the most common fabrics and can, of course, also process sustainable viscose from Lenzing AG, assured Michael Hofmannrichter.Silana aims to revolutionize the textile industry. They are currently seeking ambitious hardware and software engineers to tackle the challenge of automating the processing of flexible materials, a task that will fundamentally change our society, emphasized Anton Wohlgemuth.