Featured Startup Pitch: Have a robot? RobotsAppStore is bringing the mobile apps model to robotics

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By Editor December 13, 2011

Company: RobotsAppStore
Website: www.robotsappstore.com
Founder: Elad Inbar
Headquarters: San Francisco
Year Founded: 2011
Brief Company Description: RobotsAppStore is an online robotic apps marketplace that enables robot owners to purchase and download applications written by developers from around the globe that extend the functionality of their robots.

Elad_Inbar-RobotsAppStoreBy Elad Inbar, founder and CEO

Product Overview

RobotsAppStore allows innovative developers to make available their robot apps for secure and efficient consumer purchase. We provide the connecting medium that is helping launch personal robotics into a new era of creativity and sophistication. The online marketplace, modeled after today’s mobile app stores, will feature robotic apps written for all kinds of robots, from vacuum cleaners and dogs to humanoids and vehicles. Diverse, state-of-the-art robot applications available for purchase within RobotsAppStore.com enable robots to extend their functionality by performing tasks such as folding laundry, feeding pets and even playing soccer.

RobotsAppStore.com predicts the robot applications market is ripe and will rise at a similar rate to the mobile apps industry, which increased from 500 to 750,000 unique apps in four years, with over 18 billion downloads and $3 billion paid to developers.

As the leading robot software marketplace, RobotsAppStore.com has patented its unique robotics software repository and the security of its apps.

Founder’s Story

I have always been passionate about robots, ever since childhood. Throughout the years, I have gained extensive experience in the hi-tech industry, which has led me to where I am today. I started my hi-tech career in Internet services, where I served as the head of R&D for Israel’s top Internet portal, www.walla.co.il. I then managed the Internet services department of Orange Israel, one of the leading cellular operators in Israel. Later, I co-founded and served as CTO of massiveImpact and Affilimob, the first affiliate network to offer a results-based marketing model over mobile networks, and founded RobotsLAB, a robotics company focused on teaching robotics, developing robotics software and distributing Aldebaran Robotics’s NAO robots. It is these experiences that have strengthened my passion for robots even further, which prompted me to create the first robotics apps marketplace, forming the first-ever open platform for robot owners and robotic software developers to connect.

Marketing/Promotion Strategy

RobotsAppStore.com marketing is done by intensive PR and guerilla marketing together with cooperation with manufacturers. We believe that crafting the ideal marketing channel will help us to create a wide awareness and significant sales figures.

How We Differentiate from the Competition

There currently is very little competition in this market. RobotsAppStore is beating the crowd to what is becoming a booming industry. Up until now, there has been nowhere for robot owners to purchase apps for their robots and for robotic software developers to sell their apps to the public.

So, not only will RobotsAppStore, the first robotics apps marketplace, boost the functionality of already owned robots, but will both incentivize software developers to create more apps that they can sell and will boost demand for robots on the consumer side because robots will be capable of accomplishing extraordinary tasks like never before.

Business Model

We believe that developers should be compensated for their great work! RobotsAppStore’s business model is based on the market-standard 70-30 percent split of revenues. Where developers get 70 and the marketplace gets 30 percent.

Current Needs

We are currently in beta and our full launch is at the end of December, 2011. We have raised over $250K and are working on round A funding of $3 million in the upcoming months. We have recruited over 100 software developers from around the world and are looking to recruit many more!

RobotsAppStore – www.robotsappstore.com