January 29th, 2025
Motmot, an I-Corps trained company, recently announced the close of its $1.34M pre-seed funding round led by Assembly Ventures with participation from Michigan Rise, Kalamazoo Forward Ventures, and eLab Ventures.
The Detroit-based company is dedicated to improving drinking water infrastructure management through their Autonomous Underwater Robot (AUR) technology. Their AURs are used to inspect full municipal water systems without disrupting service. The technology identifies leaks, pipe condition, structural weaknesses, and other vulnerabilities – including residual chlorine levels for public health. With this additional information, municipalities can make informed decisions, have a risk assessment profile of their assets, extend the lifespan of their critical infrastructure, and target projects with the highest benefit for their communities.
Motmot’s Autonomous Underwater Robot. Image Courtesy of Motmot Inc.
Elliot Smith, P.E., co-founder of Motmot, launched the Michigan-based tech startup in 2022 to revolutionize how communities ensure safe and reliable drinking water. Motivated by the Flint Water Crisis, Elliot set out to tackle the growing challenges in drinking water infrastructure asset management. While completing his STEM MBA at Michigan State University, he participated in the Great Lakes I-Corps Hub Jumpstart program in 2023 and the National I-Corps program in 2024, experiences that shaped Motmot’s mission to deliver innovative and practical solutions while providing time to incubate and refine the business model.
Motmot’s Pre-Seed investment will support the company’s efforts to scale operations, expand research and development, and begin servicing municipal pilot programs in Summer 2025. They invite municipalities, investors, and industry partners to collaborate as they prepare for their pilot program.
Learn more about MotMot: https://www.motmot.ai
Interested in I-Corps? Our upcoming STEM Jumpstart is perfect for university researchers and innovators: https://greatlakesicorps.org/event/i-corps-stem-jumpstart/
