Retail technology start-up, Xpand, which builds autonomous, AI-powered retail stores, has raised $6million in a funding round led by Ibex Investors and Emerge.

Xpand develops modular ‘store-in-a-box’ units that integrate robotics, computer vision and real-time inventory management, allowing unmanned stores to operate 24/7 without staff. This plug-and-play model allows retailers to grow their store footprint, fast and flexibly, while delivering seamless, personalised shopping experiences.

The new funding will support Xpand’s next phase of international growth, which kickstarts with the launch of its first smart autonomous store in Vienna. The investment injection will accelerate store roll-outs across Europe and North America, as well as supporting the company’s growing sales, marketing and tech teams.

“Our mission is to power the next generation of retail – autonomous, scalable and always on,” said Joel Bar-El, CEO of Xpand. “With this new investment, we are ready to move from vision to global execution. Our leadership team is deeply committed to bringing scalable, autonomous retail to life.”

Xpand, which was founded in 2021 under the name 1MRobotics, counts retail, logistics and enterprise tech experts as part of its leadership team. Bar-El previously co-founded Trax Retail, while other senior team members bring experience from the likes of SAP, Retalix, Bringg and Magic Leap.