More than 23,000 people are waiting for a robot dog. Not the kind that backflips or herds sheep, but Jennie—a plush, sensor-laden replica of a Labrador puppy designed to sit on the laps of dementia patients who can no longer safely care for live animals.
Tombot, the Valencia, California company behind Jennie, announced a $7 million Series A3 round on June 25, 2026 to fund the final push toward commercial shipments. If all goes to plan, those thousands on the waitlist will receive their robotic companions by fall 2026, though the company has been careful not to commit to hard timelines after nine years of development.
The funding comes from a syndicate that reads like a who's who of healthcare mission-driven capital. Caduceus Capital Partners, the Nashville-based digital health firm that led Tombot's $6.1 million Series A last year, doubled down with this follow-on. They were joined by Wavemaker 360, a repeat backer focused on early-stage healthcare ventures; the Lutheran Foundation for Long Term Living, which deploys program-related investments into aging infrastructure; and Florida Community Health Network, the investment arm aligned with Memorial Healthcare System.
"We led Tombot's Series A last year and are pleased to continue supporting the company through this additional investment," Caduceus noted—language that, while measured, signals confidence from investors who typically scrutinize proof of concept.
A Decade of Development, With Hollywood Help
Tombot has been building Jennie since 2017, a timeline that reflects both the technical challenges of therapeutic robotics and the iterative nature of getting the product right. The company enlisted Jim Henson's Creature Shop—yes, that one—for artistic design, aiming for a look that reads as comforting rather than uncanny. Engineering and manufacturability came from Synapse Product Development, the Seattle-based product design firm known for medical device work.
What emerged is a rechargeable facsimile of an 8- to 10-week-old Labrador puppy. Sensors respond to touch, voice, and motion. An optional caregiver app offers customization, though Tombot has been sparse on technical specs. The pitch centers on populations for whom real pets are impractical or risky: individuals with dementia, mild cognitive impairment, anxiety, loneliness, autism, PTSD.
The target market spans private homes, assisted living facilities, and memory care communities. The company has not publicly disclosed enterprise contracts or named institutional buyers, which leaves open questions about how much of that 23,000-person waitlist translates to consumer orders versus facility procurement.
That waitlist figure represents growth—up from 16,000 pre-orders as of June 12, 2025. Still, Tombot has not announced final retail pricing, noting only that details will arrive closer to shipping. For a product years in the making, such opacity is perhaps understandable, if also a bit frustrating for those trying to gauge market readiness.
Pedigree and Proof Points
Tombot landed on TIME's "Best Inventions of 2020" list, a credential the company has leveraged in subsequent fundraising. The startup returned to CES in January with enhanced demonstrations of Jennie's responsiveness, and in April premiered Walkies, a short film at the Pasadena International Film Festival designed to illustrate the emotional stakes of its technology. The film—a narrative piece rather than a product demo—felt like an attempt to shift the conversation from gadgetry to human impact.
The company's capital trajectory has been piecemeal, which is common for hardware startups in niche markets. Tombot raised $60,336 via Kickstarter in 2019, followed by $252,580 through a Regulation Crowdfunding campaign on Republic in 2023. With this latest round, total capital, including all previous funding rounds and crowdfunding campaigns, exceeds $13 million.
Founder and CEO Tom Stevens, alongside co-founders Henry "Hank" Schorz (CTO) and Jesse Schorz, claim prior experience scaling a legal automation company into a market leader, though they have not publicly identified that venture. The omission is curious—industry watchers often look to founder track records as a signal of execution capability.
The Revenue Test Ahead
Tombot's forthcoming launch will answer the question that has shadowed the company since its inception: Can it convert years of development and a five-figure waitlist into sustainable revenue? Therapeutic robotics occupy an unusual space—part medical device, part consumer product, part emotional proxy. Regulatory pathways remain murky, reimbursement is largely nonexistent, and institutional buyers often move slowly.
The $7 million in fresh capital buys time and manufacturing capacity, but it also raises the stakes. Investors will want to see traction, not just sentiment. For now, the robotic puppy remains on schedule. Whether it can deliver on the promise—financial and therapeutic—is the story yet to unfold.
