Aldin Wilson’s Post

This TechCrunch piece is on humanoids, but two takeaways that are true more broadly: "Pilots are absolutely worth tracking and do signal important milestones for startups, but at the end of the day, deployment numbers are the real thing to track." "...it’s also why much of the messaging has shifted to ROI." These are clearly interrelated. Any company of size has an innovation budget to deploy on pilots or exploration. Pilots are relatively easy to secure, but they merely serve to validate the tech. The rollouts, by contrast, are 110% dependent on ROI. Note to warehouse operators considering automation - work from the ROI backward, not the tech forward. You'll save yourself wasted cycles on pilots that have no chance of actually impacting your operations. Contact us at Plus One and we'll help you sort this out. Thanks, Brian. I always enjoy our conversations.

𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐢𝐧 2024! Despite a decline in recent years, investment in robotic startups is bouncing back, with over $4.2 billion in funding raised this year, signalling a resurgence in investment, according to Crunchbase. Notable recipients included 2 exciting players in factory automation: Bright Machines and Collaborative Robotics. ✨ Bright Machines is an AI-focused manufacturing startup from San Francisco. Recently, they secured $126 million in Series C funding, backed by tech giants like Nvidia and Microsoft, bringing their total funding to over $400 million. Bright Machines is revolutionizing electronics manufacturing with a full-stack solution that offers centralized data visibility, traceability, performance benchmarking, and flexibility in automation. 🤖 Collaborative Robotics, which recently raised $100 million in Series B funding, plans to use the latest funding to increase hiring, accelerate its robotic pipeline, and bring its AI-enabled collaborative robots (cobots) into commercial deployment. Founded in 2022, their cobots are designed to work alongside humans, alleviating workforce pressures and enhancing safety and efficiency in industrial applications. By leveraging AI, these robots have greater environmental awareness and improve human-robot interactions. 💡 I’m very excited to see what these two great companies have to offer, and I am eager to see what the rest of Q3 and Q4 hold for the startup robotics space this year! #Cobots #Automation #Robotics #Investment #FactoryAutomation #CollaborativeRobots

Skild AI Secures $300 Million Series A Funding In a landmark achievement, Skild AI, the innovative artificial intelligence robotics firm, has successfully closed a $300 million Series A funding round. This significant investment will accelerate Skild AI’s mission to develop a scalable foundational paradigm for robots. Key investors in this round include Lightspeed Venture Partners, Coatue, SoftBank Group Corp., and Jeff Bezos (via Bezos Expeditions). Other notable participants are Felicis Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Menlo Ventures, General Catalyst, CRV, Amazon, SV Angel, and Carnegie Mellon University. With this infusion of capital, Skild AI plans to: 🔹 Expand its business model 🔹 Enhance training datasets for future technology deployment 🔹 Recruit top talent across AI, robotics, engineering, operations, and security Skild AI's unique approach leverages real-world data to create a versatile, all-purpose cognitive system for robots, aiming to democratize robotics and address labour shortages. Abhinav Gupta, President and Co-Founder, stated: “With general-purpose robots that can safely perform any automated task in any environment, we can expand the capabilities of robots, democratize their cost, and support the severely understaffed labour market.” Stay tuned as Skild AI continues to break new ground in the robotics and AI landscape! Read More: https://lnkd.in/g5MJUtnp #SkildAI #Robotics #ArtificialIntelligence #SeriesAFunding #TechNews #Innovation

Amazon to spend $1 billion on startups that combine AI with robots! It's incredibly exciting to see a major player investing a whopping $1 billion in startups focused on AI and robotics! 🤖 This bold move shines a light on the potential these technologies hold for our future. It's an invitation to investors and innovators alike to join in and support the growth of these cutting-edge fields. 💰 This investment isn't just about funding; it's about believing in a future where technology makes a real difference in our lives! Let's rally around this opportunity and help shape a future we all want to be part of. 🌎 #robotics #ai #investing #vc #venturecapital #institutionalinvesting #privateequity #investinginthefuture

Figure, a humanoid robotics startup, revealed that it has raised $675 million in a funding round led by an all-star cast of Big Tech investors. The business, which plans to commercialize a humanoid robot, has a $2.6 billion valuation. Microsoft, the OpenAI Startup Fund, Nvidia, Jeff Bezos' Bezos Expeditions, Parkway Venture Capital, Intel Capital, Align Ventures, and ARK Invest are among the investors in the most recent round of funding. With all of these high-profile investors, Figure is now Big Tech's preferred humanoid robotics firm. The industrial industry is also taking notice. In January, Figure announced a business arrangement with BMW to have robots operate on its production line. "In conjunction with this investment," the press release reads, "Figure and OpenAI have entered into a collaboration agreement to develop next generation AI models for humanoid robots, combining OpenAI's research with Figure's deep understanding of robotics hardware and software. The collaboration aims to help accelerate Figure's commercial timeline by enhancing the capabilities of humanoid robots to process and reason from language." #openai #figure #robotics #ai

The largest robotics funding round is nearly official for Figure Whatever Nvidia seems to touch, turns to gold. Figure AI, a startup developing human-like robots, is reportedly in the process of raising $675 million in funding, with a pre-money valuation of roughly $2 billion. Among the investors are Jeff Bezos’ Explore Investments, Microsoft, Nvidia and an Amazon-affiliated fund. Figure is among a group of leading innovators building humanoid general purpose robots. Bezos had committed $100 million through his firm Explore Investments LLC and Microsoft is investing $95 million, while Nvidia and an Amazon-affiliated fund are each providing $50 million, the report added. This is the biggest funding round I've seen for a robotics startup, where I cover robotics trends on my Newsletter called, OK Robot. The pedigree of the VC backers is also striking for the Series B. ▪ Jeff Bezos ▪ Nvidia ▪ OpenAI ▪ Microsoft ▪ Amazon ▪ Intel ▪ Samsung Investment Group ▪ Parkway Venture Capital ▪ Align Ventures ▪ ARK Venture Fund ▪ Aliya Capital Partners ▪ Tamarack ▪ Boscolo Intervest ▪ BOLD Capital Partners Areas of Interest for Figure AI’s Robotics ▪ Manufacturing ▪ Shipping ▪ Logistics ▪ Warehousing ▪ Retail It's still not quite clear where such general purpose robots (GPRs) would work or be most useful. Figure raised $70 million just nine months ago, or in May, 2023. The startup was founded in 2022 and has already signed an agreement with BMW to test out its robots. As Generative AI finds new applications, robotics startups are hot in 2024 in a way we haven't really seen before. Tesla's Optimus bot is nowhere to be seen. Instead its names like Figure, Agility, Sanctuary, 1X and so forth. At Figure, engineers are working on a robot that looks and moves like a human. The company has said it hopes its machine, called Figure 01, will be able to perform dangerous jobs that are unsuitable for people and that its technology will help alleviate labor shortages. Covering emerging technologies is about to get really interesting. OpenAI has previously invested in another humanoid robot startup called 1X Technologies. Although it once considered acquiring Figure AI, according to recent reports.

Investing in Robotics Startups: Trends and Insights https://lnkd.in/dSj-JJBa Dive into the future of innovation as we unpack the trends and insights driving investment in robotics startups. From artificial intelligence advancements to sustainable solutions, our guide empowers you to navigate the dynamic landscape of those projects of this changing landscape and choose products that have expertise in cutting-edge automation. #RoboticsInvesting #TechInnovation #StartupTrends #AIandRobotics #VentureCapital #IW #IWNews #IndustryWired

🚀 Groundbreaking News from Skild AI! 🚀 Skild AI, an innovative AI robotics startup, has raised a staggering $300 million in a Series A funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Coatue , SoftBank Group International, and Jeff Bezos Ama (through Bezos Expeditions). This funding round also saw participation from prominent investors such as Felicis Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Menlo Ventures, General Catalyst, CRV , Amazon, SV Angel, and Carnegie Mellon University. 🏦🤖 About Skild AI: Founded in 2023 by former Carnegie Mellon University professors Abhinav Gupta and Deepak Pathak, Skild AI is revolutionizing the field of robotics by developing AI-powered brains for robots. With a focus on creating a general-purpose AI model, Skild AI’s technology can be integrated into various robots and scenarios, enabling tasks related to locomotion and navigation. Funding Details: The $300 million raised will be used to scale Skild AI’s business model, expand its training datasets, and support hiring across AI, robotics, engineering, operations, and security teams. This significant investment brings the Pittsburgh-based startup's valuation to $1.5 billion. Technological Breakthroughs: Skild AI claims its model is trained on significantly more data points than competing models—at least 1,000 times more. Unlike robots designed for specific applications, Skild AI’s model is a general-purpose AI that can be deployed across various industries, from handling tough conditions to performing complex tasks in homes and factories. Aspirants Space Encouragement: At Aspirants Space ( https://lnkd.in/gYkc-Ni8 ) , we are inspired by Skild AI’s vision to redefine the capabilities of machines. We encourage Skild AI to leverage our services to hire top aspirants who can help drive their groundbreaking innovations forward. Congratulations to Abhinav Gupta, Deepak Pathak, and the entire Skild AI team on this remarkable achievement! Source : https://lnkd.in/emjDznsw #AspirantsNews #FundingSuccess #AI #Robotics #Investment #Innovation #TechRevolution

Opportunities don’t come knocking on our doors every day, especially those with the potential to significantly maximize the profitability of our investments. However, there's one standout opportunity in the investment world today: robotics. Despite often being misunderstood and overlooked by mainstream investors, this sector is rapidly emerging as one of the most promising and lucrative ones. With minimal competition, strong barriers to entry, and the real ability to improve human life, robotics presents a compelling investment case. A heartfelt thank you to Crunchbase for shining a spotlight on the immense potential of the robotics sector! #InvestInRobotics, #FutureOfInvesting, #RoboticsRevolution, #ProfitFromInnovation, #UncoverOpportunities

Y Combinator, the renowned Silicon Valley startup accelerator, is seeking startups in sectors poised for significant growth and transformation in 20 startup categories. Key Areas of Interest: - AI-Powered Robotics: Startups focusing on applying machine learning to robotics, including autonomous tractors for agriculture, infrastructure inspection robots that ensure safety and efficiency, and even space robots designed for extraterrestrial exploration and tasks. - Aerospace and Defense: This sector continues to experience a surge in patent innovation, emphasizing the critical need for modernization amidst growing global security challenges. The integration of AI, robotics, and computer vision is setting a new standard for innovation, marking a pivotal shift towards automated and intelligent defense systems. - Spatial Computing and Climate Tech: Y Combinator is casting a wide net, seeking startups that leverage AI and spatial computing to address pressing climate challenges, showcasing a commitment to both technological advancement and environmental sustainability. As we stand on the brink of these technological advancements, it's clear that the future is ripe with possibilities for those ready to innovate and disrupt. And hopefully we will see startups in ASEAN among them. https://lnkd.in/gm47_Qs3 #YCombinator #Innovation #Startups #AI #Robotics #ClimateTech