Labrador Systems

Labrador Systems builds the Retriever, a height-adjustable, semi-autonomous mobile shelf robot designed to carry food, laundry, medication, and other household items (up to ~25 pounds) for older adults and people with mobility challenges. The Retriever uses a combination of markers and on-board mapping to navigate familiar home environments and docks itself at waist height so items can be moved without lifting or bending. The company was founded in 2017 in Calabasas, California by CEO Mike Dooley (previously VP of Product at Evolution Robotics and a Vice President at iRobot following iRobot's acquisition of Evolution) and CTO Nikolai Romanov. Labrador is one of the few robotics startups explicitly targeting the assistive / aging-in-place use case rather than general-purpose home automation. Labrador has raised a modest amount of disclosed capital — a USD 3.1M seed round in January 2022 led by iRobot Ventures, with additional seed, grant, and prize funding from SOSV/HAX, Amazon's Alexa Fund, Grep VC, SkyRiver Ventures, NSF SBIR, and the Joseph F. Engelberger Foundation — bringing total disclosed funding to roughly USD 5.5M. The company launched its first commercial deployments in late 2022 with Masonic Homes of California (MHC) and Eskaton, and has positioned a 'Retriever Pro' robots-as-a-service offering at home care and senior living operators.

Labrador is one of the only US startups focused on the assistive-home-robot niche, a category with clear demographic tailwinds and a plausible path to reimbursement through senior living and home care operators rather than consumer channels.

labradorsystems.com Assistive Home Robots

United Statesprivate

At a glance

Total raised

$5.5M

last round seed

Headcount

11-50

approximate · public range

Headquarters

Calabasas, California

United States

Founded

2017

9 years active

Status

Private

Assistive Home Robots

Patents on file

USPTO grants

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Funding history

Total raised

$5.5M

Rounds tracked

Latest stage

Seed

Date	Stage	Amount	Valuation	Lead investors
Jan 5, 2022	Seed	$3.1M	—	iRobot Ventures, Amazon Alexa Fund

Founder backgrounds

Mike Dooley

Co-Founder & CEO

A veteran of consumer robotics with more than 20 years in the industry, Dooley led development of Evolution Robotics' floor-cleaning robots before the company was acquired by iRobot, where he continued working. Earlier in his career he held roles at Idealab and Riverdeep. He holds an MBA from Stanford and a BA in Psychology from Tufts. The idea for Labrador came from personal experience: when his parents began struggling with daily tasks, he saw firsthand how existing robots (including the vacuum cleaners he'd helped build) weren't designed to assist with mobility and reach. Rather than a humanoid or companion bot, Labrador's Retriever is a utilitarian, shelflike robot that fetches and carries — a deliberate design choice reflecting his belief that practical utility matters more than anthropomorphic appeal for home adoption.

Nikolai Romanov

Co-Founder & CTO

Prior to co-founding Labrador Systems, Romanov spent over 30 years in robotics and consumer electronics. He was part of the team at Evolution Robotics that launched the Mint series of floor-cleaning robots, which later became the iRobot Braava. At iRobot, he led advanced R&D, and earlier in his career he contributed to LEGO Mindstorms. He and Dooley collectively hold over a dozen robotics patents. Romanov also studied at Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation (MSTUCA). More recently, he serves as CTO of Glidance, a mobility-aid startup.

AI bull / bear

Bull case

Labrador occupies a defensible niche with clear demographic tailwinds. The assistive home robot category targets the rapidly growing aging-in-place market, where mobility-challenged users have acute need for help moving items without lifting or bending. The Retriever's height-adjustable, semi-autonomous design solves a real daily pain point—carrying food, medication, and laundry—without requiring full autonomy or general-purpose manipulation, which keeps costs and technical risk manageable. The B2B2C route through senior living operators (Masonic Homes, Eskaton) and home care agencies is smarter than direct-to-consumer: it de-risks go-to-market, offers a path to insurance/Medicaid reimbursement, and leverages existing care infrastructure. Founder pedigree matters: CEO Mike Dooley's tenure at Evolution Robotics and iRobot signals deep domain expertise in consumer robotics productization. Strategic backing from iRobot Ventures and Amazon Alexa Fund validates the technical approach and could unlock distribution or integration partnerships. With only $5.5M raised, Labrador has reached commercial deployment, suggesting capital efficiency and product-market fit in a category most robotics startups ignore.

Bear case

Labrador's modest $5.5M in total funding raises sustainability concerns in a capital-intensive robotics sector. Hardware margins are notoriously thin, and scaling manufacturing, support, and field service for a physical robot deployed in diverse home environments will require significantly more capital. The company hasn't announced a major growth round since the January 2022 seed, suggesting either muted investor appetite or slow traction post-deployment. The assistive robot market remains unproven at scale: reimbursement pathways through Medicare/Medicaid are uncertain, and senior living operators face budget constraints. Direct competition may come from larger, better-funded players (e.g., iRobot itself, or general-purpose platforms from Aeolus, Boston Dynamics) who can bundle assistive features into broader home robot offerings. The Retriever's semi-autonomous, marker-based navigation may feel dated as vision-based autonomy improves. Without a clear path to rapid unit economics or a major funding event, Labrador risks becoming a feature—acquired for IP—rather than a standalone platform.

Generated by claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929 · April 25, 2026Refreshes quarterly · see disclosures

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Labrador Systems · last 30 days

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Leadership

Mike Dooley

Co-Founder & CEO

—

Nikolai Romanov

Co-Founder & CTO

—

Products

Labrador Retriever (personal assistive robot)
Mobile assistive robot that functions as an extra pair of hands, helping individuals move large loads from place to place and bring critical items within reach. Handles payloads up to 25 pounds and can automatically adjust its height and park within inches of furniture. Features an innovative tray-retrieval system where items are pre-loaded onto removable trays (up to 10 lbs each) that the robot retrieves autonomously. Uses proprietary navigation technology fusing augmented reality and robotics to create 3D maps, running on low-cost consumer electronics. First deployed at care organizations including Masonic Homes of California and Nationwide Insurance in late 2022.
Labrador Retriever Pro (for senior living / home care operators)
Mobile home robot that lightens the load of daily activities by physically bringing essential items within reach. Large enough to carry items like a laundry basket, but can navigate tight spaces of homes. Distinguished from consumer Retriever by enterprise features: integrates with care management software, allowing multiple staff to set schedules, check activity reports, and remotely assist robot operation. Includes hardware mounts for third-party tablets or screens. Uses advanced 3D vision to navigate rooms, doorways, and tight spaces, automatically docking to charge. Available as a service, with care providers deploying robot fleets. First deployments included organizations such as On Lok PACE, Masonic Homes of California, and Nationwide Insurance.

Most recent patents

Labrador Systems, Inc.·2024-07-30
Autonomous Domestic Robotic Systems For Item Retrieval And Transport
US12049359
Abstract
Autonomous Domestic Robotic Systems For Item Retrieval And Transport
US12049359
A robotic item retrieval and transport apparatus includes at least one item retrieval mechanism that is minimally exposed while stored and/or engaged in loading or unloading of objects relative to a deck (e.g., upper surface) thereof. Actuators and at least major portions of one or more movable implements are arranged below the deck. Loading and/or unloading of objects may include lateral sliding, such as by pulling the object while it is supported by an extrinsic support surface. At least substantial portions of an item retrieval mechanism may remain outside a central target area of a deck, to provide a unobstructed or minimally obstructed deck surface for holding objects. The apparatus may be used with at least one movable pallet element. A pallet element and/or a retrievable item may include one or more features detectable by a sensor.
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