Retail technology startup Xpand bags $6 million in funding and preps first smart autonomous store in Vienna

Xpand, a retail technology startup building autonomous, AI powered stores, has raised $6 million in a funding round led by Ibex Investors and Emerge.

The company’s executive team, including Chairman and CEO Joel Bar-El, also participated. Bar-El previously co-founded Trax Retail. Other senior team members bring experience from companies including SAP, Retalix, Bringg, and Magic Leap.

Headquartered in Tel Aviv and founded in 2021 under the name 1MRobotics, the venture was rebranded as Xpand to reflect its shift from research and development to commercial deployment. The new capital will accelerate store roll-outs across Europe and North America and fund the expansion of the sales, marketing, and technology teams. The launch of its first smart autonomous store in Vienna is in the works.

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

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.

“Our mission is to power the next generation of retail – autonomous, scalable, and always on,” says Bar-El. “We are excited to partner with global retailers to bring this model to life.”

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Autonomous stores will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.