Flo Mobility Raises USD 2.5 Million Pre-Series A from Mela Ventures and Arali Ventures

Flo Mobility Private Limited, a Bengaluru-based company specializing in Physical AI solutions for construction, has secured $2.5 million in a pre-Series A funding round co-led by Mela Ventures and Arali Ventures. Founded in 2021 by Manesh Jain (CEO) and Pratik Patel (COO), the startup is tackling the construction industry’s low automation rates—just 15-20 robots per 10,000 workers globally—compared to 600+ in automotive manufacturing. The funding will accelerate manufacturing, expand its AI-driven autonomy stack, and drive deployments in India and international markets. The construction sector, employing over 270 million people worldwide, faces razor-thin margins and project timelines measured in years, demanding automation solutions that deliver returns in months. Flo Mobility’s first product, the Flo Hauler, is a battery-powered Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) designed to navigate unstructured sites, extreme weather, and dynamic layouts. The robot automates material movement, freeing labor for higher-value tasks while addressing chronic labor shortages, even in low-cost markets like India. The company’s vertically integrated platform combines proprietary hardware, AI models, and autonomy software for perception, intelligence, and action. Beyond material transport, Flo Mobility is developing solutions for tiling, wall finishing, and screeding. Investors highlighted the startup’s domain expertise, execution capabilities, and early traction with major construction firms in India and the Middle East. Viju George, Partner at Mela Ventures, emphasized the intersection of Physical AI and vertical specialization as key differentiators. The funding will expand Flo Mobility’s engineering team and accelerate product development to automate more construction use cases globally. Jain and Patel aim to position Flo Mobility as the leading robotics platform for the construction industry, scaling deployments to major markets worldwide.