Mumbai-headquartered robotics startup Miko has raised $10.5 million (about Rs 93 crore) in funding from iHeartMedia, the American audio-media main.

The funding coincides with a partnership that may see iHeartMedia’s huge catalogue of audio content material built-in into Miko’s household of units. The collaboration is geared toward deepening engagement for kids and households who use Miko’s AI companions globally.

Based in 2015 by Sneh Vaswani, Prashant Iyengar, and Chintan Raikar, Miko develops emotionally clever robots that mix AI, robotics, and IoT to teach, entertain, and have interaction kids. Its present product line contains Miko Mini and Miko 3, which function on a hybrid mannequin combining direct gross sales and subscriptions.

The startup raised $15.8 million in Sequence D funding final October from IvyCap Ventures Advisors and different buyers.

Miko claims to serve customers in additional than 140 international locations, together with the US, Europe, and the Center East, and just lately went reside with retail large Costco in North America. The startup’s AI platform depends on generative content material, superior sensors, and long-term reminiscence to make interactions adaptive, secure, and emotionally partaking.

“Our partnership with iHeart marks a pivotal second in Miko’s mission to make AI companions a part of on a regular basis household life,” stated Sneh Vaswani, co-founder and CEO of Miko.

“iHeart reaches 9 out of 10 People each month, and we couldn’t be extra thrilled to assist make Miko a family title throughout North America,” stated David Ellis, Senior Vice President of Ventures at iHeartMedia. “Miko is an AI-native robotics with proprietary know-how and IP that has the potential to reshape sectors from schooling and leisure to mobility and related dwelling”