New York‑based Antioch, a simulation platform for robot developers, announced an $8.5 million seed round that values the company at $60 million. Led by A* and Category Ventures, the round also includes MaC Venture Capital, Abstract, Box Group and Icehouse Ventures. Antioch’s technology aims to shrink the "sim‑to‑real" gap that hampers autonomous systems, letting engineers train robots in high‑fidelity virtual warehouses instead of costly physical testbeds. The funding will accelerate product development and expand the startup’s customer base, which already includes several large multinationals. Read more →