Some humanoid pitches chase warehouses. Minerva’s company story is about keeping specialists’ judgement in the loop while their bodies stay out of the blast radius.
On 6 October 2026, Minerva Humanoids said via GlobeNewswire that it raised approximately $10 million in pre-seed funding led by General Catalyst, with Long Journey Ventures and Credo Ventures as co-leads, with additional participating investors named in the release. The round brings the San Francisco–headquartered company out of stealth as it launches its first paid pilots in the fall. [1]
This is a company press release. Claims about build speed, safety impact, and deployments are company-reported.
What Roger is (company claims)
Founded by CEO Sandor Felber and CTO Maurice Rahme, Minerva designed Roger, a purpose-built semi-autonomous humanoid, around the judgement and dexterity of specialists who already do hazardous energy and public-safety work. Roger is aimed at onshore and offshore oil and gas operations and public safety—including explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and hazardous-material response. [1]
Specialists operate Roger through a VR headset, seeing through the humanoid’s cameras and performing fine manipulation while staying in command of critical actions. Minerva Intelligence—the company’s proprietary AI control system—manages balance, fall recovery, and navigation while translating remote input into action. Low-latency control loops are claimed to keep response immediate. [1]
Founders, geography, and the five-month claim
Felber previously played a core role launching MIT CSAIL’s research line on humanoid robots using AI and worked on Tesla’s Optimus programme. Rahme spent six years at Boston Dynamics as one of the technical leads on the Stretch robot. Minerva describes itself as Western sovereign: software and AI primarily developed in the United States; first Roger prototypes manufactured and assembled in Germany; plans to produce in both Germany and the United States without reliance on single-source Chinese components. [1]
The company claims it went from idea to a fully functional walking humanoid in five months. Treat the five-month timeline as company narrative until outsiders can inspect hardware generations and test logs. [1]
Pilots, partners, and a careful footnote
Ahead of official launch, Minerva says it completed a showcase and keynote at the NATO Explosive Ordnance Disposal Centre of Excellence in Samorin, Slovakia; established research partnerships with MBZUAI (energy-sector humanoid capabilities) and the University of Waterloo (perception in smoke, darkness, sensor failure, and other vision-denied environments); and is exploring deployments at two of the world’s 10 busiest airports, including completed on-site testing for high-risk public safety. [1]
A footnote cites roughly 7,000 energy-worker deaths a year as a Minerva estimate applying ILO’s global fatal work-accident rate to the IEA’s energy workforce figure—not a new official fatality census. British Special Forces veteran Dominic Asquith, named Head of Hazardous Operations, is quoted on the limits of decades-old wheeled single-arm EOD robots. [1]
What we don’t know
- Customer names, contract values, or paid-pilot success metrics.
- Independent validation of the five-month build claim or VR control latency in the field.
- How “Western sovereign” sourcing will hold as production scales.
- Airport partners’ identities beyond the “two of the world’s 10 busiest” framing.
What this does not prove
A pre-seed announcement does not prove Roger is ready for live EOD or offshore duty, or that teleoperation removes the need for humans in every hazardous procedure. It proves Minerva raised about $10 million and is starting paid pilots. [1]
The Bottom Line
Minerva has about $10 million and a teleoperation-first humanoid story aimed at energy and EOD—keeping skilled humans in control while the robot takes the physical risk. The thesis is clear; the pilots this fall are where company claims meet operational reality. This is not investment advice.
Sources
- Minerva Humanoids via GlobeNewswire (company release) — 6 October 2026 — https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/10/06/3375277/0/en/minerva-humanoids-emerges-from-stealth-with-10m-pre-seed-round-led-by-general-catalyst-to-build-humanoid-robots-for-the-world-s-most-dangerous-jobs.html
