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All investor lists > Robotics
Browse OpenVC’s network of VCs, angel investors, and accelerators funding robotics, manufacturing, and AI-driven startups.
Last update: June 19, 2026
List author: Lucas Roquilly
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You're building a robotics startup. That means you're not just writing code, you're dealing with actuators, power systems, manufacturing tolerances, and regulatory approvals that software founders never think about. Fundraising for robotics is fundamentally different because your capital needs are higher, your development cycles are longer, and most VCs who claim to "do hardware" have never actually built anything physical.
This guide cuts through the robotics venture capital landscape. You'll get real data on where robotics funding is flowing this year, which investors actually understand the hardware grind, and how to position your company for the long capital cycles that robotics requires. We'll also show you how OpenVC helps robotics founders filter for investors who've backed hardware companies before and understand what it takes to get from prototype to production.
Robotics venture capital is having a moment, but not the way you might think. In the first seven months of 2025, robotics startups raised over $6 billion, putting the year on pace to exceed 2024's total of $6.1 billion. But here's the catch: deal count dropped from 671 rounds in 2023 to 473 in 2024. Translation: fewer companies are getting funded, but the ones that do are raising massive rounds.
The money is concentrating on AI-powered robotics with clear commercial applications. Figure recruited half a dozen corporate investors to raise $1 billion in 2025, the first-ever billion-dollar round for a robotics startup. Physical Intelligence raised $400 million at a $2 billion valuation for building foundation models for robotics. Apptronik closed a $350 million Series A led by B Capital. These aren't just R\&D projects. Companies are building humanoid robots for industrial and commercial deployment with validated customer demand.
What changed? Artificial intelligence integration became table stakes. Investment in robotics with autonomous vehicle use cases fell from representing 70% of robotics funding in 2019 to just 30% in 2023. The market shifted from horizontal autonomous vehicle platforms to vertical robotics, solving specific industry problems. Humanoid robots, surgical systems, warehouse automation, and agricultural robotics are where the dollars are flowing.
Robotics VC firms are getting selective about subsectors. Here's where capital is currently flowing:
If you're building outside these categories, that's not a dealbreaker. But expect to work harder explaining your market, TAM, and why your approach warrants the capital intensity that robotics requires.
Intel Capital has deployed over $20 billion since its inception, backing robotics companies across autonomous systems, humanoid robots, and AI-powered hardware. In 2024 alone, they invested nearly $400 million in startups driving AI developments in natural language processing, autonomous systems, and humanoids. They backed Figure AI's early rounds and Field AI's $314 million Series A. If you're building compute-intensive robotics or need help with hardware-software integration, Intel Capital brings resources beyond capital.
Founded in 2000, Lux Capital manages over $5 billion and specializes in deep tech at the intersection of science and technology. They've backed Physical Intelligence (robot foundation models), Auris Health (surgical robotics acquired by Johnson & Johnson for $6.1 billion), and Anduril (defense robotics including unmanned aerial systems and robotic submarines). What sets Lux apart is their contrarian mindset and willingness to bet on physics-defying technology when everyone else passes. Partner Deena Shakir wrote "The Age of Embodied Intelligence," articulating why robotics' future is morphology-agnostic. If you're building something technically ambitious with a 10-year vision, Lux has the patience and technical depth to back it.
Khosla Ventures backs breakthrough technologies across AI, robotics, and clean energy. They led Field AI's $314 million Series A for AI-powered farm robotics and have portfolio companies spanning autonomous systems, industrial automation, and healthcare robotics. Khosla's thesis centers on category-defining companies that can scale to billions in revenue. Khosla moves decisively when they see technical breakthroughs with commercial viability. They write large checks ($10M-$50M+) and bring operational expertise from scaling companies like Square, DoorDash, and Affirm. If you've proven technical feasibility and need growth capital to scale manufacturing and go-to-market, Khosla is built for that.
Now rebranded as Woven Capital, Toyota AI Ventures operates a $200 million fund focused on mobility, logistics, and robotics. They backed Boston Dynamics before Hyundai acquired it, along with autonomous vehicle companies and warehouse robot startups.
What makes Toyota different is that strategic investors connected to one of the world's largest manufacturers. Portfolio companies get access to Toyota's supply chain, manufacturing expertise, and pilot opportunities with actual customers. The trade-off is they're sector-focused (mobility and logistics primarily), but if you're building in those verticals, Toyota's resources and customer access are invaluable.
Playground Global is a deep tech venture studio backing hardware and robotics companies from formation through scale. They invest $1M-$20M across stages and provide in-house engineering support, manufacturing expertise, and supply chain guidance. Portfolio companies include Anki (consumer robotics), ClearMotion (automotive suspension), and multiple stealth robotics startups.
They understand the physics of building hardware. Many VCs talk about "hands-on support," but Playground literally has mechanical engineers, industrial designers, and manufacturing specialists on staff. If you're early-stage and need help with mechanical design, supply chain, or getting to production, Playground offers infrastructure that most VCs cannot.
Lemnos specializes in early-stage hardware companies, writing $500K-$3M checks into seed and Series A rounds. They've backed robotics companies across agriculture, logistics, and industrial automation, with a focus on capital-efficient hardware that can reach commercial pilots quickly.
What sets Lemnos apart? They're former hardware engineers who've navigated the manufacturing grind. They understand unit economics, gross margins, and the challenges of scaling physical products. If you're raising your first institutional round and need investors who won't freak out when your prototype costs $100K per unit, Lemnos gets it.
DCVC invests in AI-powered infrastructure and deep tech, including robotics companies using machine learning for real-world applications. They backed Agility Robotics (humanoid robots for logistics), Nuro (autonomous delivery), and multiple agricultural startups. DCVC's model combines venture capital with scientific advisors (Nobel laureates, university researchers) who evaluate technical feasibility.
What founders value: DCVC understands the science. They're not afraid of hard technology problems that require years of R\&D. If you're commercializing research or building robots that pushes the boundaries of what's technically possible, DCVC has the patience and expertise to back it.
Jeff Bezos' personal investment vehicle has become a major force in robotics venture capital. Bezos Expeditions backed Physical Intelligence, Figure, and Skild AI, all focused on AI-powered robotics and embodied intelligence. The typical check size is $5M-$50M in growth rounds. What makes Bezos different: he's personally engaged, bringing lessons from scaling Amazon's robotics operations (Kiva Systems, now Amazon Robotics).
Portfolio companies get strategic guidance on manufacturing at scale, logistics automation, and building robotics businesses with Amazon-level operational rigor. If you're post-Series A and scaling production, Bezos brings credibility and network effects that matter for enterprise sales.
GV invests across stages in AI, healthcare, and robotics. They backed Boston Dynamics when Google acquired it, along with Savioke (hospitality robots) and Vicarious (robot perception AI). GV's strength is pattern recognition in AI applications and access to Google's technical talent for due diligence. Portfolio companies benefit from introductions to Google Cloud customers and occasional technical collaboration with Google Research. The trade-off—GV invests broadly, so you won't get dedicated partner attention unless you're a breakout company. But if you need growth capital and want the Google brand behind you for enterprise sales, GV delivers.
Traditional venture capital firms like Sequoia, Lightspeed, and Andreessen Horowitz have all made robotics bets recently, backing companies like Physical Intelligence (Sequoia), Figure (a16z), and various industrial automation startups. These firms bring massive capital ($50M+ rounds), global networks, and brand credibility. These VCs invest in robots opportunistically, not as a thesis-driven focus. You'll need exceptional traction and a clear path to a $1B+ outcome to get their attention. But if you're building something with potential to be a generational company, their capital and network are unmatched.
Robotics startup funding requires a different mindset than software. Here's what you're up against:
Capital intensity is real. Building physical machines plus software means higher R\&D costs. Your seed round will disappear faster than a SaaS company's because you're paying for prototypes, testing, certifications, and manufacturing setup. Expect to raise 2-3x what a comparable software company would need at each stage.
Development cycles are longer. It takes 18-24 months to get from concept to working prototype, not the 6-9 months that software founders experience. Robotics investors who understand hardware know this, but you'll still need to show meaningful progress every 6 months to maintain momentum.
Manufacturing complexity changes everything. Even with a working prototype, scaling to production requires supply chain management, quality control, and manufacturing partnerships that software companies never think about. Smart robotics VC firms ask about your manufacturing strategy early because it's often where companies die.
Customer pilots drag longer. Enterprise sales cycles for robotics are 12-18 months minimum. You're not selling API access, you're deploying physical machines that require training, integration, and ongoing support. Factor this into your cash flow projections and fundraising timeline.
Strategic vs financial investors. Corporate VCs (Intel Capital, Toyota AI Ventures) bring industry access, technical resources, and potential customers. Financial VCs (Sequoia, Lux Capital) bring capital and network effects. The best robotics rounds blend both types to cover all bases.
Robotics entrepreneurs often need a hybrid fundraising approach. Start with angel investors and pre-seed funds who understand hardware, then layer in strategic corporate VCs for Series A, and bring in financial VCs for growth rounds. Each stage requires different investors with different risk tolerances and support capabilities.
Y Combinator included robotics as a focus area in its 2024 cohort, marking a shift from pure software to hardware-enabled companies. YC invests $500,000 for 7% equity and runs a three-month program ending with Demo Day. YC now understands that hardware companies need longer runways and capital-intensive development. Alumni include Anki (consumer robots), Cruise (acquired by GM), and multiple logistics robotics startups. The advantages of YC are instant credibility with later-stage investors, access to 5,000+ founder network, and investor relationships that dramatically reduce Series A fundraising friction.
HAX runs a hardware-focused accelerator with dedicated robot tracks in San Francisco and Shenzhen. They invest $250K for 6-9% equity and provide access to prototyping facilities, manufacturing partners in China, and hardware-specific mentorship. HAX has backed over 300 hardware startups, including consumer robots, industrial automation, and IoT-enabled devices. With HAX, you'll get introductions to component suppliers, contract manufacturers, and quality control specialists that most accelerators cannot provide. If you're early-stage and need help getting from breadboard to production-ready hardware, HAX is built for that.
MassRobotics is a nonprofit robotics hub in Boston providing workspace, mentorship, and investor connections for robotics startups. They don't take equity but charge membership fees for access to prototyping space, testing facilities, and a network of corporate partners like Amazon Robotics, Mitsubishi Electric, and Boston Dynamics alumni. What makes At MassRobotics you're surrounded by other robotics founders solving similar problems. The peer learning and collaboration are invaluable when you're debugging mechanical issues or navigating regulatory approvals that software accelerators don't understand.
Robotics capital intensity makes every non-dilutive dollar crucial. Here are funding sources that extend runway without diluting equity:
SBIR/STTR grants from the federal government offer Phase I awards ($50K-$250K) for feasibility studies and Phase II awards ($750K-$1.5M) for R\&D. Robotics companies excel at winning these because the technology is often dual-use (commercial and government applications). Agencies like DOD, DOE, and NASA run robotic-specific programs. The validation from winning SBIR/STTR awards also strengthens your pitch to VCs.
Government grants and contracts from defense agencies (DARPA, DIU) and research institutions provide substantial non-dilutive capital for robotics R\&D. If you're building autonomous systems, defense robots, or dual-use technology, these programs can fund millions in development costs while you retain full equity.
Regulation A+ and Reg CF allow direct-to-investor fundraising, raising $5M-$75M from unaccredited investors. Several robotics companies have used these mechanisms to build community around their products while raising capital. The trade-off is marketing costs and regulatory complexity, but it's a viable path if you have strong consumer or SMB interest.
Venture debt from lenders like Silicon Valley Bank (now First Citizens) or Hercules Capital provides bridge financing for robotics companies with traction. Typical terms are 12-24 month loans at 8-12% interest with warrants. This works for Series B + companies that need capital to scale manufacturing but don't want to raise another equity round immediately.
Investors in the robotics industry evaluate decks differently than software VCs. Here's what matters:
Technical feasibility + commercial viability: Don't just show cool technology. Explain why customers will pay for it, what problem you're solving, and why your approach is defensible. Investors have seen hundreds of impressive prototypes that never found product-market fit.
Unit economics at scale: Show your current prototype cost, target manufacturing cost at volume (10K, 100K, 1M units), and gross margin projections. If your unit economics don't work at scale, you don't have a venture-backable business.
Pilot-to-production path: Explain how you'll go from prototype to scalable manufacturing. Who are your contract manufacturers? What's your supply chain strategy? How long will it take to reach volume production? Do you have an e-commerce strategy?
Defensibility beyond patents: IP matters, but it's not enough. Explain your proprietary data advantages, vertical integration strategy, or network effects that make your company hard to replicate. Software economics (zero marginal cost) don't apply to hardware, so your moats need to be stronger.
For more on building effective pitch decks, check OpenVC's guide to startup pitch decks.
Robotics money sometimes comes from adjacent sectors. You'll find relevant investors under:
Cross-reference these lists inside OpenVC to find investors who might not explicitly call themselves "robotics VCs" but actively invest in the space and understand hardware businesses.
Raising for a robotics startup means talking to 30+ investors before you close. The founders who move fast know exactly who to target and how to manage the chaos without drowning in spreadsheets and Gmail threads.
OpenVC lets you browse every active robotics investor, filtered by stage, check size, sector focus, and hardware experience. Find seed investors writing $2M checks into cobots, or growth firms deploying $50M into humanoid robots. Then build your shortlist, track every conversation in our fundraising CRM, and actually manage your raise like the strategic process it should be.
We built this because we've been there. 10,000+ investor profiles, zero noise, completely free.
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