Syncere
Palo Alto maker of LUME, a floor lamp that doubles as a mobile home robot; $11M pre-seed in Nov 2026
Startup · Pilot · Robotics leader · Palo Alto, California, United States
- Founded · less than a year before Nov 2026 per The Next Web; no exact date
- Customers · pre-orders reported, buyers not named
- Valuation · not disclosed
- Headcount · not published
Profile
Syncere sells robots for the home by starting with furniture. Its first product, LUME, is a floor lamp that doubles as a mobile home robot, which the company describes as able to move around, fold laundry, tidy up and help make the bed. The company describes its plan as deploying robots first and building their intelligence from experience in customers' homes, with new capabilities arriving through software updates, and reports that LUME costs 10 to 20 times less than humanoid alternatives. It reports millions of dollars in pre-order demand, and TIME named LUME one of its Best Inventions of 2026. Co-founders Aaron Tan (CEO) and Angus Fung started the company less than a year ago, according to The Next Web. On Nov 3, 2026 it announced an $11M pre-seed round led by a16z Speedrun, with Draper Associates, Physical World, SeaX Ventures and Sequel.
Notes The exact founding date is not on a primary page; The Next Web says the company was founded less than a year before Nov 2026. LUME is not yet shipping at scale.
Leadership
- Aaron Tan, Co-founder & CEO
- Angus Fung, Co-founder
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Flagship robots
- LUME Mobile manipulator
Floor lamp that also moves around the home as a robot; the company describes it as able to fold laundry, tidies and helps make the bed. Starts at $2,699 per The Next Web; first deliveries are still ahead
Funding and valuation
Latest round
$11M
Pre-seed · Nov 3, 2026
Led by a16z Speedrun
Also Draper Associates, Physical World, SeaX Ventures, Sequel.
Total raised
$11M
As of Nov 3, 2026
Pre-seed round only
- SYNCERE Raises 11M in Pre-Seed Funding (Syncere) (Nov 3, 2026)
Trademarks
No US filings since 2025 (last checked ).
Source: USPTO Trademark Search, matched on the company’s legal names. Rechecked on the 1st and 15th of each month. A filing shows intent to use a name in the US, not a launched product.
Recent news
Sources
- SYNCERE Raises 11M in Pre-Seed Funding (Syncere) (Nov 3, 2026)
- Robot lamp maker Syncere raises $11M pre-seed led by a16z Speedrun (The Next Web) (Nov 3, 2026)
Confidence: medium.