Eoin Cobbe
| Eoin Cobbe | |
| Occupation | CEO and co-founder, Forge Robotics |
|---|---|
| Known for | Co-founding Forge Robotics |
| Education | University of Galway (Bachelor's) |
Eoin Cobbe is an Irish entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Forge Robotics, an AI robotics startup that builds autonomous welding systems for metal fabrication. The company, based in Galway, Ireland, with a presence in San Francisco, California, was accepted into Y Combinator in 2025 as part of the Fall 2025 batch.[1]
Career
Cobbe co-founded Forge Robotics alongside CTO Robert Cormican. At the time of the company's acceptance into Y Combinator in September 2025, Cobbe was 21 years old and Cormican was 22.[2] Cobbe has a background in mechanical engineering and steel fabrication, and attended the University of Galway, where he deferred his degree to pursue the company full-time after receiving the Y Combinator acceptance.[3]
Forge Robotics develops an AI-powered intelligence layer for industrial welding robots. The company's system enables robots to autonomously scan a metal part, interpret its geometry, and execute welds without manual programming, even when the setup is imperfect. The technology incorporates vision systems and AI control layers that provide a constant feedback loop to detect and avoid welding errors. According to the company, its system reduces setup time by 90 percent and improves first-pass yield from 90 percent to 99 percent, while achieving sub-millimeter accuracy.[4]
The company addresses a growing shortage of skilled welders in the manufacturing industry, as hundreds of thousands of experienced welders are expected to retire in the coming years with insufficient new entrants to replace them. Cobbe has stated that the cost of setting up and maintaining a welding robot often exceeds the cost of the robot itself, and that Forge Robotics aims to eliminate the expensive engineering hours traditionally required for robot programming and maintenance.
Upon acceptance into Y Combinator, Forge Robotics received $500,000 in pre-seed funding. The company was reported to be only the twelfth Irish company in history to be accepted into the accelerator. Forge Robotics has also been recognised by Silicon Republic as one of eight notable Irish robotics startups.[5]
References
- ↑ "West of Ireland Startup Forge Robotics Joins Y Combinator to Redefine Manufacturing". 'PorterShed}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ↑ "Tech duo quit their jobs after big $500,000 start-up boost". 'Connacht Tribune}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ↑ "Galway AI start-up Forge Robotics joins Y Combinator". 'Silicon Republic}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ↑ "Forge Robotics". 'Forge Robotics}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ↑ "8 Irish robotics start-ups you should know about". 'Silicon Republic}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.