Robotics startup Skild AI has secured an impressive $300 million in Series A funding to develop foundational models aimed at powering general-purpose robots. Established in 2023, with operations based in both Pittsburgh and the San Francisco Bay Area, Skild is pioneering AI models designed to simplify the training of robots for a wide array of tasks.
Leading the funding round are prominent investors, including SoftBank, Coatue, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Jeff Bezos’ Expeditions fund. Notable participants in this funding effort also include Amazon and Carnegie Mellon University, along with Menlo Ventures, Sequoia, and General Catalyst. The capital raised will be utilized to enhance its foundational model and expand related datasets, setting the stage for upcoming commercial launches. In addition, Skild plans to recruit new talent for its engineering, operations, and security teams.
“Our large-scale model showcases unprecedented generalization and emergent capabilities across various robots and tasks, opening up significant avenues for automation within real-world environments,” stated Deepak Pathak, co-founder and CEO of Skild AI. “We believe that Skild AI is a game changer for the robotics sector, with the potential to transform the entire physical economy.”
Skild aims to revolutionize robot training to ensure safe interaction with humans and optimize robots for workplace environments. By utilizing a foundational model, the startup seeks to streamline the process of teaching robots to perform general-purpose tasks with maximum efficiency—enabling them to work alongside humans or in hazardous conditions.
By assembling a team of AI experts hailing from illustrious companies like Meta, Tesla, Nvidia, Amazon, and Google, Skild asserts that its model has the potential to significantly reduce the costs associated with deploying robots across various applications. The company’s foundational model boasts 1,000 times more data points than competing systems, likening it to a “shared, general-purpose brain for a diverse array of robots, scenarios, and tasks.”
This versatile foundational model is adaptable to diverse robot types, including quadrupeds and humanoids, allowing them to tackle intricate household and industrial jobs. Skild is particularly focused on addressing labor shortages through its cutting-edge robotics technology. The long-term vision includes the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) for real-world applications, with the company already providing automation solutions for visual inspection and patrolling tasks.
“A GPT-3 moment is on the horizon for the realm of robotics,” anticipates Stephanie Zhan, a partner at Sequoia Capital. “This development will trigger a significant shift, bringing advancements comparable to those witnessed in the field of digital intelligence into the physical realm. Since our initial partnership with Skild AI in their seed round, my conviction has deepened that this team is spearheading one of the most ambitious visions of our time.”
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