Israeli retail tech startup Xpand has raised $6M to launch autonomous retail stores worldwide. The new capital will accelerate store roll-outs across Europe and North America, beginning with the launch of its first smart autonomous store in Vienna. It will also fund expansion of the company’s sales, marketing, and technology teams. The funding round was led by Ibex Investors and Emerge.

Xpand develops modular “store-in-a-box” units that integrate robotics, computer vision, and real-time inventory management. These unmanned plug-and-play stores are designed to operate 24/7 without staff. They aim to provide retailers with a fast way to grow their footprint with a personalised consumer shopping experience.

Founded in 2021 by Eyal Yair and Roee Tuval under the name 1MRobotics, the company was rebranded as Xpand to reflect its shift from research and development to commercial deployment.

“With this new investment, we are ready to move from vision to global execution,” said Joel Bar-El, CEO of Xpand. “The Vienna store is only the beginning. Our leadership team is deeply committed to bringing scalable, autonomous retail to life.”