Israeli startup Intuition Robotics, creator of ElliQ, an empathetic AI companion robot designed to help older adults living alone, has triumphed at the regional stage of the Startup World Cup, one of the world’s largest pitch competitions.
The selection took place on May 22 at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation in Tel Aviv. The event was organized by Axis Innovation and Pegasus Tech Ventures.
Intuition Robotics will now represent Israel at the global finale in San Francisco this October, competing against startups from over 100 countries for a $1 million investment prize.
“We are happy to represent Israel at the Startup World Cup,” said Dor Skuler, cofounder of Intuition Robotics. “People say Israeli AI is behind, and this is an opportunity for us to show that it is cutting edge.”
Founded in 2016 by Skuler, Roy Amir and Itai Mendelsohn, Intuition Robotics launched its ElliQ product commercially in 2023. Since its debut, ElliQ has been shown to reduce loneliness and improve health outcomes, gaining traction through partnerships with government agencies and health insurance companies.
The company has raised over $80 million to date, including a $23 million funding round last summer, led by Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth fund. Although the startup isn’t currently in an active funding round, Skuler hinted that one may be launched in 2026.
A total of 10 promising Israeli startups competed in the regional event in Tel Aviv, including Airovation Technologies, BeeHero, Combinable AI, Climate-Eyes, Helios, OpenDNA, Starstone and Qualifire.ai.
