Skild AI Secures $300M for Scalable AI Robotics Foundation

Skild AI, a pioneering AI robotics company, has successfully closed a $300 million Series A funding round to advance its scalable foundation model for robotics. The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Coatue, SoftBank Group, and Jeff Bezos (via Bezos Expeditions), with additional participation from Felicis Ventures, Sequoia, Menlo Ventures, General Catalyst, CRV, Amazon, SV Angel, and Carnegie Mellon University. This funding elevates Skild AI’s valuation to $1.5 billion.

Company Vision and Technology

Skild AI focuses on creating intelligence deeply integrated with the physical world. Unlike vertically designed robots built for specific tasks, Skild’s model acts as a versatile, general-purpose brain for a wide array of robots and tasks, such as manipulation, locomotion, and navigation. Their model leverages a dataset at least 1,000 times larger than competing models, enabling robust performance across diverse environments—from resilient quadrupeds to vision-based humanoids handling complex tasks in household and industrial settings. This technology aims to make low-cost robots accessible across multiple industries.

CEO’s Perspective

"The large-scale model we are building demonstrates unparalleled generalization and emergent capabilities across robots and tasks, providing significant potential for automation within real-world environments," said Deepak Pathak, CEO and Co-Founder of Skild AI. "We believe Skild AI represents a step change in how robotics will be scaled, and has the potential to change the entire physical economy."

Addressing Labor Shortages

Unlike current robotic applications restricted to specific environments, Skild’s general-purpose AI model makes any robot agile, dexterous, and safe for human interaction. The U.S. labor market faces a significant shortage, with over 1.7 million more job openings than unemployed workers, affecting industries such as healthcare, construction, warehousing, and manufacturing. Projections indicate 2.1 million unfulfilled manufacturing jobs by 2030. Skild’s model can help robots perform new tasks alongside humans or in dangerous conditions, addressing these workforce gaps.

Co-Founder’s Insights

"With general-purpose robots that can safely perform any automated task, in any environment, and with any type of embodiment, we can expand the capabilities of robots, democratize their cost, and support the severely understaffed labor market," said Abhinav Gupta, President and Co-Founder of Skild AI.

Investor Perspectives

"Skild AI has achieved massive breakthroughs in a short period, and we believe they’re a one-of-a-kind company that could redefine our notions of what machines are capable of," said Raviraj Jain, Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Founders' Background

Founders Gupta and Pathak, former Carnegie Mellon University professors, bring a combined 25 years of experience in robotics and AI, with numerous industry breakthroughs to their credit. The Skild AI team comprises experts from top tech companies and academic institutions.

Scalability and Future Goals

"Skild AI has a truly scalable approach to building foundational models for robot manipulation and locomotion. Coatue is thrilled to back their effort to revolutionize robotics, shifting from pre-programmed to dynamic, adaptable robots," said Sri Viswanath, General Partner at Coatue and former CTO of Atlassian.

Utilization of Capital

The new capital will support the continued scaling of Skild’s model and training datasets for future commercial deployment, along with hiring for roles in AI, robotics, engineering, operations, and security.

Long-Term Vision

Skild AI’s long-term objective is to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI) rooted in the physical world, challenging the idea that AGI can only emerge from digital knowledge.

Company Overview

Founded in 2023 by leaders in self-supervised and adaptive robotics, Skild AI is building a scalable foundation model serving as a versatile brain for diverse robot applications. The company operates from Pittsburgh and the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, visit Skild AI.