Destro AI secures $8 million to orchestrate human-robot logistics

Founder Manthan Pawar argues that many robotics companies fail because they prioritize engineering feats over specific customer pain points. Instead of building proprietary hardware, Destro utilizes its Mothership operating system to manage existing robotic platforms, such as those from Miva Robotics, alongside human laborers. The system leverages vision-language-action models to interpret camera data and guide workers through complex tasks like cross-docking—moving goods from incoming trucks directly to outgoing loads.

Richard Brunelle, director of automation at Yusen Logistics, turned to Destro after finding that larger robotics firms could not integrate into his existing workflows. While competitors offered simple point-to-point transport or required heavy manual oversight, Destro’s software coordinates the entire process. The startup is currently scaling a pilot program at a Yusen facility in the Pacific Northwest to 26 robots, with a second deployment of 17 units planned for Southern California. While the company faces long-term risks from competitors developing more dexterous humanoid hardware, Pawar believes his software harness provides the essential value that makes automated workflows viable in the real world.