The Hottest Embodied AI Startups in Silicon Valley in 2024(2)

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Nimble's core technical capabilities are reflected in the high efficiency and flexibility of its robot system. Through large-scale data training and customized hardware design, Nimble's robots can quickly adapt to different environments and be seamlessly integrated into existing warehouse management systems without the need to modify the code.
This "plug-and-play" advantage enables its technology to be deployed quickly and at a low cost. In addition, the company also improves operational reliability through an AI framework combined with human supervision, solving the instability problem of traditional robots when handling complex products.
In terms of financing, Nimble recently completed a $106 million Series C financing, and the company's valuation reached $1 billion. This round of financing was led by FedEx and established a strategic cooperation relationship with Cedar Pine LLC. As part of the cooperation, FedEx plans to use Nimble's fully automated third-party logistics (3PL) model to expand its fulfillment services. The funds will mainly be used to expand the scale of robot manufacturing, accelerate system deployment, and further strengthen R&D capabilities.
Currently, Nimble's technology has been adopted by multiple Fortune 500 retailers and processes more than 100,000 items daily in fulfillment centers across the United States. With the continuous growth of e-commerce demand and the intensification of the labor shortage problem, Nimble is promoting the transformation of the logistics industry towards automation through its innovative technology. Through cooperation with industry giants such as FedEx, the company is expected to further expand its market share and promote its fully automated fulfillment center model globally, bringing revolutionary changes to supply chain management.
Bright Machines
Bright Machines is an American artificial intelligence robot company founded in 2018, headquartered in San Francisco. The company is dedicated to providing innovative automation solutions for the manufacturing industry by combining flexible factory robots, intelligent software, production data, and machine learning technology.
In terms of products and services, Bright Machines' core product is a full-stack automation solution called "Software-defined Microfactories." This system integrates central data visualization, traceability, performance benchmarking, and flexible automation functions.
The company has also developed the Design for Automated Assembly (DFAA) tool, which uses a powerful data network to provide virtual design suggestions to shorten the time to market. Bright Machines' robots use machine learning algorithms to ensure quality control and traceability during the assembly inspection process. In addition, the company also provides flexible disassembly functions to help recycle and reuse components at the end of the product life cycle, achieving full-cycle manufacturing.

In terms of core technical capabilities, Bright Machines focuses on the development of computer vision, machine learning, and software applications to change the way products are designed and manufactured. The company's technology can transform isolated and inefficient manual manufacturing processes into data-driven intelligent manufacturing processes. By combining a data network with flexible robotics, modeling, and simulation, Bright Machines can support modern factory operations far beyond traditional factories.
In terms of financing, Bright Machines completed a $126 million Series C financing in June 2024, including $106 million in equity investment and $20 million in venture debt. This round of financing was led by funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, with participation from companies such as Nvidia, Microsoft, Eclipse, Jabil, and Shinhan Securities.
Bright Machines' technology and solutions have been applied in multiple industries, including the construction of AI hardware infrastructure. The company's CEO, Lior Susan, said that through cooperation with technology leaders such as Nvidia and Microsoft, Bright Machines can provide customers with flexible, integrated, and intelligent manufacturing solutions, starting from DFAA and running through the entire manufacturing process until the recycling and reuse of components.

Path Robotics
Path Robotics is an American artificial intelligence robot company founded in 2018, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The company was founded by brothers Andy Lonsberry and Alex Lonsberry and is dedicated to developing intelligent welding robot systems to solve the problem of skilled labor shortages faced by the manufacturing industry, especially in the welding industry.
In terms of products and services, Path Robotics mainly provides two intelligent welding robot systems: AW-3 and AF-1. The AW-3 welding robot cell is designed for large parts and can handle parts up to 70 feet long and can autonomously complete the welding of steel parts.

The AF-1 welding robot cell is more advanced and can complete picking, assembly, and welding work without human intervention. In 2024, the company launched a full-stack automation solution called "Software-defined Microfactories," which integrates central data visualization, traceability, performance benchmarking, and flexible automation functions.
Path Robotics' core technical capabilities are reflected in its use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computer vision systems to automate the welding process. The company's robot systems can "see" any weldment, locate its spatial position, and use robot AI to autonomously determine and execute the best motion plan. These systems use proprietary sensing technology and robot AI to enable intelligent welding units to adapt to various part sizes.
In addition, the company has also developed the Design for Automated Assembly (DFAA) tool, which uses a powerful data network to provide virtual design suggestions to shorten the time to market.
In October 2024, the company completed a $100 million Series D financing led by Drive Capital and Matter Venture Partners, with other investors including Gaingels, Tiger Global Management, Catapult Ventures, and Addition.
Path Robotics' technology and products have been applied in many manufacturers in the United States and Canada. The company's mission is to solve the labor challenges faced by the manufacturing industry through intelligent automation solutions, improve production efficiency, and minimize upfront costs.

Collaborative Robotics
Collaborative Robotics (abbreviated as Cobot) is an American artificial intelligence robot company founded in 2022, headquartered in Santa Clara, California. The company was founded by Brad Porter, former vice president of Amazon Robotics, and is dedicated to developing collaborative robots (cobots) that can work safely and economically with humans.
In terms of products and services, Collaborative Robotics is developing an autonomous mobile manipulation robot. This robot features an omnidirectional mobile design with four wheels and a steering drive system, is slightly less than 6 feet (about 1.8 meters) tall, and can carry items weighing up to 75 pounds (about 34 kilograms).
In addition, it can also operate and move existing carts with a maximum load capacity of 1,500 pounds (about 680 kilograms). The company's robot system is designed to adapt to various manufacturing, supply chain, and healthcare workflows to solve the labor shortage problems faced by these industries.

ROBOTIQ
Collaborative Robotics' core technical capabilities are reflected in the application of its artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computer vision systems. The company emphasizes the trustworthiness and safety of robots and adopts a human-centered design approach, enabling users to understand the functions of robots through observation.
Recently, the company also announced the establishment of a foundation model AI team led by Michael Vogelsong, the founder of Amazon's deep learning technology team, aiming to explore the frontier possibilities of AI in enhancing robot capabilities, especially in the fields of bimanual manipulation and low-latency multimodal models.
In terms of financing, Collaborative Robotics completed a $100 million Series B financing in April 2024, led by General Catalyst, with participation from Bison Ventures, Industry Ventures, and Lux Capital, and existing investors such as Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, and Mayo Clinic also continued to follow suit.
Collaborative Robotics' team consists of robotics and artificial intelligence experts from companies such as Amazon

Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft, NASA, and Waymo. The company has also established a cooperative relationship with the University of Washington and funded academic research in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics. As the company continues to expand and advance its commercialization process, Collaborative Robotics is expected to play an important role in the field of human-robot collaboration and bring innovative automation solutions to industries such as manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare.

 

1X Technologies
1X Technologies is a Norwegian artificial intelligence robot company founded in 2014, formerly known as Halodi Robotics. The company is dedicated to developing safe and intelligent humanoid robots to solve the global labor shortage problem and create a rich labor supply.

 

In terms of products and services, 1X mainly offers two humanoid robots: EVE and NEO. EVE is a wheeled highly mobile robot mainly targeted at enterprise customers and can perform industrial tasks such as equipment handling, door opening, and order fulfillment. NEO is the company's newly developed bipedal humanoid robot, specially designed for daily household assistance and can support various household tasks such as cleaning, tidying, and running errands. Both robots can move naturally in both unstructured and structured spaces and understand users' instructions through natural language.

 

1X's core technical capabilities are reflected in its innovations in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The company has developed the world's highest torque-to-weight ratio drive servo motor for mimicking the movement of soft organic muscles. In addition, 1X also adopts a unique embodied learning method for data collection and training. In the company's studio in Moss, Norway, robots learn practical tasks in diverse real scenarios through VR remote operation technology, thus obtaining an intuitive understanding of the difficulty and feasibility of tasks. This method is different from traditional coding and preset algorithms and focuses more on practical learning to adapt to the world designed for humans.

 

In January 2024, the company completed a $100 million Series B financing led by EQT Ventures, with participation from Samsung NEXT, Skagerak Capital, and the Nistad Group. Previously, 1X completed a $23.5 million Series A financing led by OpenAI and Tiger Global in March 2023.

 

1X plans to use the funds to bring NEO to the market, support existing enterprise customers, and expand its data collection strategy for embodied AI. The company's commercialization process is steadily advancing, and some customers are already using its products. For example, Sunnass Hospital and Everon Company have deployed about 250 robots for night guard duty in commercial buildings.

 

Carbon Robotics
Carbon Robotics is an American artificial intelligence agricultural robot company founded in 2018, headquartered in Seattle. The company is dedicated to developing advanced AI-driven agricultural technologies to improve agricultural production efficiency and sustainability.

 

In terms of products and services, Carbon Robotics' core product is the LaserWeeder™ series of weeding robots. The LaserWeeder utilizes computer vision, AI deep learning technology, robotics, and laser technology to accurately identify and eliminate weeds without the use of chemical herbicides, manual labor, or soil disturbance.

 

In February 2024, the company launched a new model, the Track LaserWeeder, specially designed for peat soil, which improves the machine's adaptability to various soil types through a customized track system. In addition, Carbon Robotics also provides the Carbon Ops Center software platform, which provides farmers with detailed data analysis of crops and weeds in the field.

 

Carbon Robotics' core technical capabilities are reflected in the application of its AI and machine learning algorithms. Each LaserWeeder is equipped with 24 NVIDIA graphics processing units and can process 4.7 million high-resolution images per hour. The company's robots can identify and eliminate weeds with millimeter-level accuracy, reducing weeding costs by 80% while increasing crop yield and quality.

 

By combining computer vision, AI deep learning, and laser technology, Carbon Robotics' robots can effectively control weeds without the use of chemical herbicides, providing farmers with an environmentally friendly and efficient solution.

 

In terms of financing, Carbon Robotics completed a $70 million Series D financing in October 2024, led by BOND, with participation from existing investors such as NVIDIA's venture capital division, NVentures.

 

The funds will be used to expand the LaserWeeder business scale, introduce new software and hardware products, expand advanced manufacturing capabilities in eastern Washington, and support the company's market expansion in Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.

 

Carbon Robotics' technology has been applied in many regions in North America, Europe, and Australia, helping farmers eliminate more than 10 billion weeds in over 100 crops. The total usage time of the LaserWeeder by the company's customers exceeded 50,000 hours in 2023, significantly reducing weeding costs and reporting a substantial increase in crop yield and quality. As the company continues to expand and advance its commercialization process, Carbon Robotics is expected to play an important role in the fields of precision agriculture and sustainable agriculture and bring revolutionary changes to global agriculture.

 

Botrista Technology
Botrista Technology is an American artificial intelligence beverage automation company founded in 2017, headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company was founded by former Tesla automation engineer Sean Hsu and is dedicated to providing innovative beverage solutions for the catering industry.

 

In terms of products and services, Botrista's core product is the DrinkBot automatic beverage dispenser. This device utilizes patented mixing and algorithmic dispensing technologies and can produce a variety of high-quality cold drinks, including more than 2,000 beverage recipes in 15 categories such as bubble milk tea, iced coffee, smoothies, lemonade, and energy drinks, within 20 seconds.

 

The DrinkBot occupies only 4 square feet of space, equivalent to that of an ordinary beverage dispenser, but can provide the variety of drinks equivalent to a complete bar. In addition to the hardware device, Botrista also provides the CloudBar intelligent cloud system, which provides data analysis and menu development guidance for restaurant operators.

 

Botrista's core technical capabilities are reflected in the application of its artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms. The company uses a large amount of data collected from the sales of millions of cups of drinks in 34 states, combined with factors such as demographics, geographical location, consumer preferences, food pairings, and time periods, to customize the most suitable beverage menu for the restaurant's customer base and local market trends.

 

In addition, Botrista is also continuously strengthening the application of AI technology in menu creation and recipe optimization to help restaurants keep up with the latest beverage trends.

 

In terms of financing, Botrista completed a Series C financing in July 2024, bringing the company's total financing since its establishment to $120 million. This round of financing was led by the global catering company Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC). JFC owns 18 brands in 33 countries and is the second-fastest-growing catering brand in the world.

 

Previously, Botrista completed a $55 million Series B financing in October 2022. The funds will be used to expand the business scale of DrinkBot, develop new software and hardware products, strengthen AI technology research and development, and support the company's global market expansion.

 

Currently, Botrista's technology has been applied in 37 states, and its customers include national chain restaurants, independent restaurants, university campuses, movie theaters, theme parks, and other venues. The company's solutions have helped restaurants increase beverage sales and profit margins while solving problems such as labor shortages and operational complexity.

 

For example, a fast-food chain saw an 18% increase in average order value after using DrinkBot. As the company continues to expand and advance technological innovation, Botrista is expected to play a greater role in the fields of beverage automation and personalized customization and bring revolutionary changes to the global catering industry.

 

Bear Robotics
Bear Robotics is an American artificial intelligence robot company founded in May 2017, headquartered in Redwood City, California. The company was founded by former Google software engineer Ha Jung-woo and is dedicated to developing intelligent service robots to provide innovative solutions for the catering, hotel, and other service industries.

 

In terms of products and services, Bear Robotics' core product is the Servi series of autonomous food delivery robots. The Servi robots can autonomously navigate, avoid obstacles, and complete food delivery tasks, greatly improving the operational efficiency of restaurants. In 2023, the company launched a new generation of product, Servi Plus, with a larger load capacity and an advanced drive suspension system. In addition to hardware products, Bear Robotics also provides the CloudBar intelligent cloud system, which provides data analysis and operational optimization services for customers.

 

Bear Robotics' core technical capabilities are reflected in its artificial intelligence, computer vision, and autonomous navigation. The company's robots use advanced AI algorithms and sensor technology and can accurately position and avoid obstacles in complex environments. According to the company's official website, as of January 2022, the Servi robots had traveled a cumulative distance of more than 247,500 miles, equivalent to the circumference of the Earth.

 

In terms of financing, Bear Robotics recently completed a $60 million Series C financing led by LG Electronics. The funds will be used to drive the company's entry into emerging markets such as intelligent warehousing and supply chain automation and develop a new generation of robot platforms. Previously, the company completed an $81 million Series B financing in March 2022, led by IMM and with participation from Cleveland Avenue, LLC. Bear Robotics' total financing has exceeded $120 million, and its investors include well-known institutions such as Softbank and LG Electronics.

 

Bear Robotics' technology has been applied in multiple industries in North America, Europe, and Asia, including hotels, healthcare, retail, and logistics. The company's strategic cooperation with LG Electronics not only provides financial support but also promotes technological innovation and market expansion in the field of service robots. Bear Robotics CEO John Ha said that the company will utilize its successful experience in the hotel industry to further expand its technological vision and develop customized solutions for fields such as intelligent warehousing and supply chain automation.

 

Pickle Robot
Pickle Robot is an American artificial intelligence robot company founded in 2018, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company specializes in developing robot systems for warehouse automation, especially robot technology for unloading trucks and containers.

 

In terms of products and services, Pickle Robot's core product is the Pickle Unload Systems, an AI-driven robot system specifically designed for unloading non-palletized cargo. This system has been in production and use in the distribution centers of multiple customers since the summer of 2023.

 

Pickle's robots can autonomously unload trucks, trailers, and import containers, and their performance has reached or exceeded the human level. To date, Pickle's robots have unloaded more than 10 million pounds of goods, including footwear, clothing, power tools, toys, kitchenware, packaging materials, small household appliances, and other daily necessities.

 

Pickle Robot's core technical capabilities are reflected in its so-called "Physical AI" technology. This technology combines a powerful vision system and generative AI foundation models trained with millions of data points from real logistics and warehouse operations, enabling Pickle's robot hardware platform to perform physical work at or above the human level of efficiency.

The company's technology also includes machine learning, computer vision, and advanced sensor systems, which enable the robots to adapt to complex warehouse environments.

 

In November 2024, the company announced the completion of a $50 million Series B financing. This round of financing was led by an unnamed "strategic customer" and included participation from Teradyne Robotics Ventures, Toyota Ventures, Ranpak, Third Kind Venture Capital, One Madison Group, Hyperplane, Catapult Ventures, and others.

In addition, in the third quarter of 2024, six customers placed orders for more than 30 production robots, with plans for deployment in the first half of 2025. These orders include pilot conversions, expansions by existing customers, and adoptions by new customers.

Pickle Robot plans to use the new funds to accelerate the development of new features and expand the size of the commercial team to explore new markets and geographical regions. The company's goal is to automate the inbound and outbound processes of 1 million warehouse doors within the next 10 years. As the company continues to expand and advance technological innovation, Pickle Robot is expected to play a greater role in the field of warehouse automation and bring revolutionary changes to the global logistics industry.

Mytra
Mytra is an American artificial intelligence robot company founded in 2024, headquartered in South San Francisco, California. The company was founded by former Tesla Optimus humanoid robot team leader Chris Walti and former Tesla and Rivian factory software leader Ahmad Baitalmal and is dedicated to developing three-dimensional robot technology to improve industrial production efficiency.

In terms of products and services, Mytra's core product is a three-dimensional robot system called Mytra Unload Systems, specifically designed for automating the most common industrial tasks in warehouses: the movement and storage of materials.

This system consists of three main components: robots, a simple and repetitive matrix structure, and edge intelligence software. Mytra's robots can move in any direction in three dimensions, can handle goods weighing up to 3000 pounds, achieving the maximum flexibility within physical limits.

Mytra's core technical capabilities are reflected in its "Physical AI" technology. This technology combines a powerful computer vision system, ultra-wideband sensors, and IMU feedback, enabling the robots to process perception information in real-time and make intelligent responses. Mytra's software platform can optimize robot paths, manage inventory, and continuously learn to improve performance and adapt to changing customer needs. This software-defined automation system breaks the trade-off between automation and flexibility, greatly increasing warehouse density and throughput.

In terms of financing, Mytra announced in July 2024 that it had completed a total of $78 million in financing, including seed round, Series A, and Series B.

Among them, the Series B financing was led by Greenoaks, with participation from Eclipse. Other investors include 515 Ventures, founded by Okta co-founder and chairman Frederic Kerrest, as well as individual investors Garry Tan and Lachy Groom.

Mytra's technology has been put into use in some of Albertsons' distribution centers to buffer and sort inventory before shipment. It is estimated that Mytra's system can save up to 88% of labor time in the warehouse and double the internal rate of return. As the company continues to expand and advance technological innovation, Mytra is expected to play an important role in the fields of warehouse automation and supply chain optimization and bring revolutionary changes to the global manufacturing and logistics industries.