Tech Breakthrough
Israeli AI Retail Startup Unveils 24/7 Robot Store Plans
Founded by Trax Retail co-founder Yoel Bar-El, Xpand will open its first fully autonomous store in Vienna this year, combining robotics, AI, and real-time inventory management to tackle retail’s labor shortage and high costs.
Israeli startup Xpand has completed a $6 million funding round led by Ibex Investors and Emerge, with participation from the company’s leadership team. The funds will be used to transition from research and development to a commercial rollout of its autonomous retail stores.
Formerly operating under the name 1MRobotics, Xpand has developed a “store-in-a-box” concept- modular, unmanned retail units operating 24/7. The units integrate robotics, computer vision, and real-time inventory management. Each store can hold up to 2,000 different items and manage a stock of up to 24,000 products, with multiple temperature zones and built-in loss-prevention systems.
The company is led by Yoel Bar-El, co-founder of Trax Retail, alongside senior executives with experience at SAP, Retalix, Bringg, and Magic Leap. “The Vienna launch is just the beginning,” Bar-El said. “Our goal is to bring the vision of autonomous retail to the global stage.”
Xpand plans rapid expansion across Europe and North America, aiming to deliver a high-tech solution to the retail industry’s key challenges - rising costs and workforce shortages - through a fully automated, continuous, and staff-free model.