Authors: Bojan Stojkovski and Bogdan Iordache

Originally from Romania, Andrei Danescu’s passion for robotics began at age eight, sparking a journey that led him to the UK, where he studied engineering. Throughout his career, Andrei has worked at the intersection of robotics, automotive engineering, and motorsports, with roles at Jaguar Land Rover and the Sahara Force India Formula One Team. 

Years later, as a founder and CEO of robotics startup Dexory, formerly known as BotsAndUs, he has raised more than $120 million in funding, including a $19 million Series A round led by European VC Atomico and a $80 million Series B round led by DTCP. The company’s flagship product, DexoryView, provides real-time data insights that aim to transform warehouse management. 

With a growing team of over 120 employees, Dexory’s product has rapidly gained traction during the past several years. Now, Andrei’s vision for Dexory is to become the global standard for data and insights in warehouse management, using robots and AI-powered digital twin technology to optimize processes and drive efficiency.

In this interview with Underline Ventures, he reflects on the experiences of building Dexory, the impact of AI and robotics on supply chains, and his perspective on the future of Industry 4.0 in logistics.

UV: Can you share more about your early interest in robotics and how it shaped your career path?

Andrei Danescu: I grew up in Bucharest, Romania, knowing from as early as two or three years old that I wanted to be an engineer. My childhood revolved around taking things apart, building with my hands, and exploring how things worked. Encouraged by my parents, who ran their small business, I spent time in technical environments that fueled my passion for engineering. Growing up in an ex-communist country with limited access to resources turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It sparked creativity and improvisation, as we had to imagine and build our own toys, circuits, and gadgets.

At the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, I built my first autonomous robot, discovering a passion for robotics that would define my career. Around the same time, I got my driver’s license, which unexpectedly opened up a new world. While I hadn’t been particularly interested in cars as a child, my competitive nature and exposure to car culture drew me to the idea of working in Formula One. Many thought it was an unattainable goal, but I mapped out a clear plan: move to the UK, the birthplace of F1, and pursue the necessary motorsport experience.

Although F1 was the pinnacle of precision and speed, I wanted to explore engineering beyond its regimented rulebooks. Transitioning to Jaguar Land Rover allowed me to push my boundaries, working on tire modeling, sensor fusion, and autonomous off-road systems. This phase helped me get to a new level of creativity and problem-solving.

UV: How did your experience managing risk in Formula One influence your journey as an entrepreneur? Did the principles of risk management in such a high-stakes environment shape your approach to founding and running a company?

AD: I think one of the big takeaways is how much focus there is on risk management or mitigation. You put a lot of checks in place because running these cars on the track is so expensive, and you want to ensure they’re in perfect condition. But inherently, it’s still a very risky sport. At the end of the day, it’s not just a single driver going around the track at incredible speeds—it’s a group effort, and it’s nearly impossible to predict what others around you are going to do. That unpredictability makes the risk factor huge.

But exactly as you said, it’s not just about risk mitigation. It’s about how you build the right redundancies and processes to achieve maximum speed and acceleration while minimizing exposure to unnecessary risks. I think you have to take risks, especially in business—sometimes significant ones. However, the approach to managing those risks is what makes all the difference.

UV: What is Dexory now, how has it evolved from its original concept as BotsAndUs to the robotics company it is today?

AD: In 2015, I founded my company, first as BotsAndUs, and now known as Dexory. The initial idea was to use autonomous robots to gather data from physical spaces, a vision that has evolved significantly over the years. For the first five years, we bootstrapped the company, securing over €5 million in public funding before raising any private investment. This approach forced us to remain laser-focused on solving real-world problems rather than creating technology for its own sake. Staying close to our customer’s needs has been instrumental in shaping our solutions and driving our success.

The company was founded with the idea of creating a robot that could interact with people in public spaces—airports, hotel lounges, museums, and so on—while providing information, offering support, and collecting feedback. What’s unique about autonomous robots is their ability to operate on a map of the world—a digitized version of the real environment. This means that any sensor information they collect can be immediately pinpointed to a specific location, enabling the creation of a low-fidelity digital twin of the world.

We used this digital twin to understand what people are asking for, what they need, and how businesses can operate more effectively. That foundational concept has been carried through various iterations of our products.

In 2018, we decided to focus heavily on the retail industry. At the time, we were taking the necessary steps to build the technology and establish Dexory as a full-stack technology provider for logistics. 

When I say full-stack, I mean we handle everything in-house—from designing and engineering the product to prototyping, manufacturing, and commissioning. We have our own CNC machine shop and prototyping facilities. We run our own production lines and manage all the final stages of installation and integration directly with customers. Beyond that, we provide end-to-end support, including aftermarket services, ensuring a seamless customer experience.

UV: How did supply chains evolve especially during the pandemic and how has Dexory adapted meanwhile?

AD: I think the industry is currently undergoing a fascinating transformational phase. Much of this was catalyzed by the pandemic, which presented a massive opportunity but also significant challenges. The pandemic exacerbated labor shortages and numerous inefficiencies. At the same time, it heightened demand for just-in-time delivery and even same-day delivery, placing tremendous pressure on supply chains.

With these challenges come opportunities. Technologies like ours enable operations to achieve nearly zero operational errors and maximize efficiency. They also introduce an entirely new level of visibility into warehouse activities. For instance, imagine a warehouse with 100,000 locations. Manually inspecting every one of them would take weeks, but we can scan it in less than a day. As the robots scan, they don’t just capture images—they generate detailed multi-dimensional data analysis and actionable insights about how the space is being used and evolving.

UV: How do you see startups such as Dexory influencing Industry 4.0 compared to traditional industry giants?

AD: I think when it comes to Industry 4.0, it’s crucial to find people who have a genuine passion for solving problems within the industry. Industrial environments might not always seem the most exciting places to work, and as a result, we often see innovative technologies that are essentially solutions in search of a problem. 

In contrast, the most successful initiatives tend to come from individuals who, while they may not necessarily have deep industry experience or background, are driven by a strong desire to understand how things are done, uncover the root causes of the challenges, and bring transformative solutions to the market.

This is also an incredibly exciting time for the industry as a whole. We’re seeing increasingly sophisticated perception and robotic systems that significantly enhance the capabilities of the existing workforce. These advancements allow people to focus their attention and energy on high-leverage tasks rather than being tied up with repetitive, low-value work. This shift has the potential to supercharge productivity and innovation across the board.

UV: How do you see the advantage of newcomers in the industrial space, particularly those who focus on building a single, highly specialized product with the latest technology, like AI, compared to traditional players with multiple products that face greater complexity in development and market adoption?

AD: It’s a double-edged sword, really, and it depends a lot on the ambition of the individuals or the founding team and what they want to achieve. If your goal is to bring technology to market that can truly transform an industry, it’s never going to be an easy task. Whether the product is large or small, software or hardware, anything that drives real impact is bound to present tough challenges. You need grit, resilience, and passion to push through and create real industry transformation. I completely agree that one of the biggest challenges is the inherent resistance to change. People often prefer to stick with what they know, even when it’s no longer good enough. The key is to find a way to package your product in a way that overcomes this reluctance to try something new.

It’s also crucial to be on the right wave. For example, the technology we offer today might not have been as compelling seven or eight years ago, when the market wasn’t ready to fully appreciate it. Back then, people could just hire a few more people to do the job, and customer expectations were also completely different, but now the technological sophistication has evolved to a point where you can’t replicate the speed and depth of data collection manually. If the solution you bring to market is only incrementally better, adoption will be slower. But if it’s truly transformational, like the concept Peter Thiel talks about with “zero to one,” where it’s a giant leap forward, then it becomes a no-brainer for people.

UV: What were the main factors for Dexory in securing the latest $80 million in funding, including the previous Series A from Atomico?

AD: I think one of the most important aspects of raising venture capital is finding the right partner to work with. This is where it can get controversial, but I don’t mind being straightforward. It’s easy for investors to say they want to back the next unicorn or invest in a “rocket ship.” But the reality is, the moment they board that rocket, as it takes off, they will always experience discomfort—whether it’s sickness, blacking out, or fainting. It’s a rollercoaster, and you need to expect the highs and lows, the bumps along the way. So, it’s crucial to find the right partner who understands this journey and believes in your vision.

You need people who are aligned with your mission, who have the right amount of capital, and who understand that the early-stage investors (pre-seed, seed) are different from those who’ll support your Series A or B. Even later investors who might write a billion-dollar check will have a different perspective. The common thread among them should be a belief in what you’re building, along with a trust-based relationship between the founders and the investment partners, we know who is doing the bulk of the work! 

UV: When evaluating investors, how do you differentiate between those who are comfortable taking risks and those who are more focused on driving steady, predictable growth?

AD: I think it’s quite challenging, especially with the latest round we raised. From the beginning, we were upfront, saying, “I don’t want to waste your time, and I’m sure you don’t want to waste mine.” This is a full stack, very complex business. We started our HQ with one warehouse last year, and now we have four in the same park because we keep outgrowing them faster than we can retrofit them. The demand is really high, but that brings a lot of scaling complexity.

When you look at due diligence for a company like ours, it’s very complex. Since we’re a full-stack company, the IP portfolio is vast, and we’re operating at the cutting edge of autonomous robotics and AI. There are only a handful of people globally who can properly assess this. For our technical and financial due diligence, we worked with one of the top firms in the world, and they were highly impressed by what we have.

So, it’s crucial to be upfront from the start. It’s hard when raising money because you have the natural drive to make it work, but with experience, you get a gut feeling about who will be serious and who won’t. It’s important to be clear that full stack is not just a software platform with a bit of hardware. Robotics is an entirely different beast, and having a full-stack product offering requires a completely different mindset, intensity, and way of operating.

UV: Some believe that Industry 4.0 will lead to a fully autonomous future. What would you consider “fully autonomous?” Is this possible? Or will there always be a place for human input in logistics?

AD: I think this is an interesting topic, especially given all the hype surrounding it. From my perspective, I believe people often overestimate the capabilities of automation and robotic systems and the problems they can truly solve. I’m a strong believer in the symbiosis between human teams and robots. It’s not about having “teams of robots,” but about automating the right tasks and enabling people to excel in their areas of expertise.

In my view, the future lies in creating hybrid teams where people focus on what they do best—complex manipulation, problem-solving, and quick decision-making. Robots can then enhance their capabilities with the right perception systems and AI, processing vast amounts of data and enabling split-second decisions. This, I believe, is the best approach for our species, especially as technology continues to shape our future.

UV: Do you think automation will eliminate junior positions across industries, or will it enhance their capabilities by allowing them to focus on more complex tasks?

AD: I think this is an interesting question because it really depends on how you view junior positions. I have very young engineers who, by current standards, might be considered junior, but they produce more and better work than people with 10+ years of experience. The key driver here, I believe, is automating the simpler tasks—the ones often assigned to junior staff—so that they no longer need to spend time on them. This way, new employees can come in and immediately work at the right level, utilizing their insights and engaging with technology in ways that are second nature to the younger generation.

Take the example of smartphones and tablets: Young people interact with technology as if it’s native to them, effortlessly accessing and using it. This shift in mindset means we no longer need to memorize everything. Why bother learning historical facts from a book when AI can provide a summary and more in seconds? This will change the way roles and tasks evolve. Junior positions and tasks as we see them today will look entirely different in the future.

UV: We’ve discussed future generations, but personally, what excites you most about Industry 4.0 and the developments happening right now for our generation?

AD: I think the most exciting part is the direction the industry is heading in right now. It’s an incredible time to be in engineering and product development. The speed at which the latest developments and trends in Industry 4.0, and even 5.0, allow us to turn ideas into reality is unparalleled. 

What’s even more exciting is that it’s not prohibitively expensive to bring those ideas to life. The advancements in machinery, automation, AI, and generative design have made it possible to democratize the process of transforming a vision into reality. It’s truly an exciting period to be alive in the creative and product development spaces.