Romanian Startup ‘Bob Concierge’ Raised EUR 6 Million

Bob Concierge, the Romanian startup which has developed an intelligent retail system for automated devices that provide and sell products and services within residential complexes and office buildings, has received a new investment of six million euros from American fund NCH Capital.

The company aims to use the funds to continue to innovate and scale up the business, in order to become the major marketplace for residential services in Romania and in the European region. With this new round, the total investments in the Romanian startup have exceeded 11 million euros.

Currently, Bob Concierge operates a network of 64 devices in Bucharest, with another 100 currently in the process of being installed. With the new funding, the company will continue to develop its network locally and internationally. Bob Concierge aims to build a network of 5,000 devices in Romania and 50,000 devices in Europe in the coming years.

“Very few startups in the region dare to develop intelligent hardware solutions. We are convinced that software-only innovations are now in full swing, but in the future, they will decline due to some of the limitations they face. We believe the future belongs to automated hardware equipped with artificial intelligence,” said Mihail Gîrneț, CEO at Bob Concierge.

Bob Concierge brings to residential apartment buildings automatic mini-shops, with food and drinks, complemented by the online platform Uncle Bob with essential products and a range of home services that can be ordered for optimal convenience. The company’s devices also feature delivery compartments, in which couriers can drop off or pick up a package, and special dry cleaning compartments, in which users can leave their laundry, for the cleaning companies to pick up.

The Bob Concierge devices use the “Grab and Go” technology so that customers registered in the mobile application can be able to open the mini-shop and take whatever products they need. For this process, the customers simply need to authenticate by scanning the visible QR code, after which the products are automatically identified by the multitude of sensors, and payment is instantly withdrawn from the user’s account.

The Bob Concierge project has a unique approach, by using Internet of Things technologies and Artificial Intelligence to ensure a fully integrated business chain, from logistics to marketing. All the hardware and software components of the solutions offered by Bob Concierge are currently developed and produced exclusively in Romania, with the help of local teams and talent.

About Bob Concierge & Uncle Bob

Bob Concierge and the complimentary Uncle Bob services innovate the local retail market by offering fully automated commerce solutions available on hand, within residential spaces. Bob Concierge helps solve day-to-day tasks for the buildings’ residents by providing food, drinks, and services through a fully automated device, installed in the hallways of the apartment building.

Bob Concierge customers can also use the Uncle Bob special lockers to receive the packages they have ordered and they can even leave their laundry in the special lockers for the dry cleaning company to pick up and return all within 24h, by simply making an order via the mobile app.