Robotics for SMEs: How Startup Unchained Robotics Makes Automation Accessible Through Leasing

 

Robotics is still often seen as a high-tech domain reserved for large corporations – too expensive, too complex, too exclusive. The startup Unchained Robotics aims to change that. With a digital platform and a modular approach, the company makes automation fast and easy to access for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In this interview, co-founder Mladen Milicevic explains how the idea came about, why SMEs play a key role, and how the partnership with vent.io – the corporate venture capital unit of Deutsche Leasing AG – is helping to bring it all to life.

 

 

Mladen, how would you describe what Unchained Robotics does in an elevator pitch?

 

Unchained Robotics is a one-stop solution for automation. We offer the world’s first platform that makes searching, finding, and integrating robotics easy and transparent – including technical details and pricing. Integration happens through our modular system called MalocherBot and typically takes just a few days. Our software Luna connects all systems seamlessly.

 

You said “world’s first” – in which countries do you currently have customers?

 

At the moment, we serve customers in 26 countries. Our main focus is Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Poland. But we were especially excited to recently ship our first 20 robotic arms to the U.S. Most of our customers are manufacturing companies, particularly in metal processing. While we also work with larger companies with 500 to 1,000 employees, our core focus is on medium-sized businesses with around 50 to 500 employees.

 

Many small and medium businesses have barely used robotics so far – mainly due to high costs or complicated integration. Is your focus on transparency also about democratizing the robotics market?

 

Absolutely. Robotics is often seen as rocket science – and that’s exactly what we want to change. The “Unchained” in our name stands for freeing the entire industry from outdated mindsets. We want to make robotics accessible to the broader SME sector beyond the automotive industry. SMEs are the backbone of German – and ultimately European – industry.

 

How did you personally come to found Unchained Robotics?

 

During my studies, I was already working as a freelancer on process optimization in factories. After that, I served on the supervisory board of a smaller company and worked in intralogistics planning for Beijing Automotive Group and Daimler. That’s where I noticed how pragmatically the Chinese integrate robots. I thought: We need to do the same if we want to stay competitive. My co-founder Kevin Freise had already worked on robotics at the Fraunhofer Institute. We basically launched Unchained with our first customer order – just a month later, we received our first investment from the Technologiefonds OWL.

 

Today, vent.io, the CVC unit of Deutsche Leasing AG, is also one of your partners. What does this cooperation mean for you?

 

A great deal. The team from vent.io first reached out in 2022, but we didn’t really connect until a financing round in 2023. At the time, I was already thinking about how to further lower the barrier to entry for robotics. In our discussions with vent.io, it quickly became clear that we could create real added value together – especially through access to Deutsche Leasing, which developed a leasing model tailored to our needs. This significantly lowered the entry threshold for our customers.

 

How exactly does the leasing model work?

 

On our platform, interested companies can browse various robotic arms – for grinding, picking, palletizing, or machine loading – with prices and technical details included. They can then choose: buy or lease. If they opt for leasing, Deutsche Leasing purchases the desired system from us and creates a leasing agreement tailored to the company’s specific needs. This makes it much easier for small and medium businesses to get started with robotics – without large upfront investments.

 

Were there challenges for you as a startup when developing this process?

 

Yes, definitely. One challenge was that we wanted to give our customers concrete leasing terms as quickly as possible – but Deutsche Leasing needs to evaluate those terms individually in advance.

 

How did you respond to that?

 

We use a leasing calculator that lets us provide customers with a tailored offer shortly after the first meeting – or even during the meeting in some cases.

 

Can international customers also use the leasing model?

 

Yes – and that’s the great part: Deutsche Leasing is the largest independent leasing provider in Germany and operates in over 20 countries. So our customers abroad can also easily benefit from the leasing model.

 

 

Does vent.io support you beyond financing as well?

 

Absolutely. Beyond financing, their strategic support has been crucial. The vent.io team gave us visibility – by inviting us to industry events like the Sparkassentag, connecting us with media contacts, and networking us with key players in the SME sector. For a young company like ours, that was incredibly valuable.

 

What do you say to people who fear that robotics will eliminate jobs?

 

The opposite is true. Studies show that by 2030, around 3.7 million workers will be missing – especially for tasks that robots can take over: packaging, assembling, screwing. Many of our customers have even reported that the push to introduce robotics didn’t come from management, but from employees asking: Why aren’t we already doing this with a robot?

 

Contact

Website: unchainedrobotics.de
LinkedIn: Mladen Milicevic