From Google to Robotics: The Unlikely Path Building a $350M European Scale-Up

Jan de Vries · 2026-09-03

Ever wonder what it takes to jump from a cushy corporate role at Google to building a robotics company from scratch? Oana Jinga did exactly that, and her journey with Dexory reveals a lot about where European deep tech is headed. It’s a story that starts not in a garage, but in boardrooms, before shifting to the concrete floors of warehouses. Oana went from leading strategic partnerships at giants like Google and Telefónica to co-founding Dexory, a company that’s trying to solve a massive, messy problem: making warehouses smarter. ### The Pivot from Corporate to Co-founder Her path wasn't a straight line. It was about seeing a gap between what cutting-edge tech could do and what businesses actually needed. The logistics industry is hungry for efficiency, but the solutions often felt too complex, too fragile. Dexory, originally called BotsAndUs, aimed to bridge that gap. Think of it as translating deep tech into a language that operations managers can actually use. ### Scaling a Vision into a $350M Reality The evolution has been staggering. From its early days, Dexory has grown into a European scale-up with nearly $325 million in funding. A huge part of that was a $165 million raise in 2025. That kind of money brings its own challenges. Suddenly, it's not just about a cool robot prototype; it's about building a global company, proving you can scale, and keeping that technical ambition grounded in what customers will pay for. Their focus now is on what they call 'Physical AI' and expanding internationally, including a big push into the US market. But Oana's perspective on the broader European warehouse robotics scene is just as interesting. It's a space that's heating up, but it's also one facing some fundamental questions. ### The Human Side of the Robot Revolution This is where the conversation gets real. Everyone's worried about robots taking jobs. Oana tackles this head-on. She doesn't see it as replacement; she sees it as augmentation. The real question isn't what machines *can* do, but what they *should* do. Which responsibilities need a human touch, and which tasks are just better suited to a machine's consistency? She also dives into the ethical stuff that often gets glossed over. Building unbiased, transparent AI systems isn't optional—it's core to building trust. And she points out some blind spots the industry still has. It’s a refreshing dose of honesty in a field often obsessed with specs and speed. ### Changing the Face of Robotics Beyond the tech and the scaling, Oana is passionate about making this field more inclusive. She's actively challenging the old, tired stereotype of robotics as a boys' club. The industry today needs a huge range of skills—from data science and engineering to commercial strategy and design. It’s not just about building the bot; it’s about understanding the problem it solves. Here are some of the key insights she shared: - How her Google and Telefónica experience directly shapes Dexory's growth strategy today. - The evolution of their mission: from early goals to a focus on scalable, AI-driven warehouse intelligence. - A practical take on the job displacement fear, focusing on human-robot collaboration. - Where to draw the line between human oversight and machine automation. - The non-negotiable ethical considerations for AI in physical spaces. So, what's the big takeaway? It’s that the future of European tech isn't just about software. It's about companies like Dexory that are putting advanced robotics to work in the real world, led by people who understand both the technology and the human problems it needs to solve. The path from corporate partner to robotics founder might be unlikely, but it might just be the blueprint we need.