RLWRLD, a physical AI company developing robotics foundation models trained directly in real industrial environments, announced it has closed a $26 million Seed 2 funding round, bringing its total seed investment to approximately $41 million. The latest raise follows a $15 million Seed 1 round and was structured not only to secure capital but also to expand the company’s coalition of industry-based strategic investors as demand for collaborative robotics deployments accelerates.
The Seed 2 round includes financial investors Headline Asia and Z Venture Capital, the corporate venture arm of LY Corporation, which was formed through the merger of LINE and Yahoo Japan. Strategic investors participating in the round include CJ Logistics, Kakao Investment, Lotte Ventures, Hanwha Asset Management, Mirae Asset – Emart Investment Fund I, Hyosung Ventures, Smilegate Investment, and T Investment. Hashed Ventures, which led the Seed 1 round, also participated in Seed 2.
Headline Asia said it plans to support RLWRLD’s expansion into North America and broader global markets, while helping the company build deeper connections across the industrial ecosystem. Z Venture Capital will focus on accelerating proof-of-concept and commercialization discussions in Japan through its network across telecommunications, retail, and services sectors.
RLWRLD said several proof-of-concept and Robotics Transformation projects are already underway with investors in South Korea and Japan. Collaborative initiatives with major domestic companies, including CJ Logistics and Lotte, are progressing across logistics, distribution, and service environments, with some projects advancing to joint deployment stages following memoranda of understanding.
Unlike robotics companies that primarily develop models in lab settings, RLWRLD trains its foundation models inside live industrial operations through its strategic investor network. The company said this approach creates a proprietary real-world data advantage, enabling robots to learn directly from production floors and apply accumulated intelligence across additional sites.
RLWRLD plans to officially unveil its robotics foundation model in the first half of 2026 as it works to scale industrial deployments and expand globally.
KEY QUOTES:
“The next phase of robotics begins with scalable intelligence — robots that learn directly on real production floors like factories and apply that accumulated experience across more sites. In East Asia, where labor shortages are intensifying, RLWRLD’s ability to work closely with major industrial partners and accumulate real-world data is a critical foundation for building long-term competitive advantage.”
Akio Tanaka, Founding Partner of Headline Asia
“The competitiveness of future logistics lies not in simple facility automation, but in how quickly companies can secure a sophisticated AI brain that understands operations and makes autonomous decisions. Through our collaboration and strategic investment with RLWRLD, we will jointly advance a robotics foundation model directly applicable to logistics environments and accelerate the transition to AI-based autonomous operations at our distribution centers.”
Jong-hoon Lee, CFO and Head of Management Support at CJ Logistics
“Robotics intelligence can’t be built in isolation, it has to be trained where work actually happens. Our strategy is to develop and deploy alongside the companies operating factories, logistics networks and service environments every day. The model we’re launching this year is designed to learn directly from those settings and improve as it moves across them.”
Junghee Ryu, Founder and CEO of RLWRLD
