Amazon’s Bezos backs Brooks and Heartland Robotics

By Galen Moore

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Heartland Robotics Inc. has closed a Series A round of equity financing worth $7 million, backed by Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos, federal regulatory documents indicate.

According to a document published today by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Cambridge company founded by iRobot co-founder Rodney Brooks took the equity investment and added Melinda Lewison to its board of directors. Lewison is a principal at Bezos Expeditions , the firm that manages Bezos’ personal investments.

Brooks, named this morning one of the 2009 Mass High Tech All-Stars, left iRobot in 2008 to found Heartland. The company remains stealthy about its plans, but Brooks has said he hopes to combine robotics and human skills in a manufacturing environment.

Representatives at Heartland and Bezos Expeditions could not immediately be reached, this afternoon.

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