RoboTire raises $7.5 million

RoboTire, “the next generation tire changing system,” has raised a $7.5 million Series A round led by The Reinalt-Thomas Corporation, the major tire retail brand behind Discount Tire and America’s Tire. Automotive Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners, 640 Oxford Ventures and several angel investors also participated in the round.

Founded in 2018, RoboTire is automating vehicle maintenance, starting with tire changing. The startup’s robotic solution is capable of changing a set of tires in less than 15 minutes.

“This is a pivotal moment for RoboTire and sets us on a path to further transform vehicle maintenance. Our focus is to revolutionize the way tires are changed, and collaborating with Discount Tire – an iconic automotive and tire industry leader – will make our innovative technology more widely available to consumers who need both speed and service as part of their daily lives. We are immensely proud to receive this backing from our investors and know this is just the first turn down a long road to success for our company.” – RoboTire CEO and founder Victor Darolfi.

“Discount Tire is excited to support RoboTire in the development of new and innovative technologies that drive a better customer experience. As customer expectations around the ‘buy and book online’ experience and our ability to deliver reduced wait times continue to grow, we will continue to pursue automation and enhancements that ensure an inviting, easy and safe experience for all our customers.” – Tom Williams, CEO of Discount Tire

“We see RoboTire as transformative – not only for the tire industry but for the development of smarter automotive technologies and future-proofing the workforce of skilled technicians, which our industry must do a better job recruiting, training and retaining. We’re excited to build out and scale our operations and team in Detroit and in Michigan, the heart of American automotive engineering, with support of our new partners.” – Will Mapes, RoboTire COO.