Figure, an AI robotics company developing general purpose humanoid robots, today announced that it has raised $675M in Series B funding at a $2.6B valuation with investments from Microsoft, OpenAI Startup Fund, NVIDIA, Jeff Bezos (through Bezos Expeditions), Parkway Venture Capital, Intel Capital, Align Ventures, and ARK Invest. This investment will accelerate Figure’s timeline for humanoid commercial deployment.

What is even more interesting is its collaboration with OpenAI in conjunction with this investment. Figure and OpenAI will work together 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.

“We’ve always planned to come back to robotics and we see a path with Figure to explore what humanoid robots can achieve when powered by highly capable multimodal models. We’re blown away by Figure’s progress to date and we look forward to working together to open up new possibilities for how robots can help in everyday life,” said Peter Welinder, VP of Product and Partnerships at OpenAI.

The Figure team, made up of top AI robotics experts from Boston Dynamics, Tesla, Google DeepMind, and Archer Aviation, has made remarkable progress in the past few months in the key areas of AI, robot development, robot testing, and commercialization (Figure recently announced its first commercial agreement with BMW Manufacturing to bring humanoids into automotive production). This new capital will be used strategically for scaling up AI training, robot manufacturing, expanding engineering headcount, and advancing commercial deployment efforts.

Figure will also leverage Microsoft Azure for AI infrastructure, training, and storage. 

“Our vision at Figure is to bring humanoid robots into commercial operations as soon as possible. This investment, combined with our partnership with OpenAI and Microsoft, ensures that we are well-prepared to bring embodied AI into the world to make a transformative impact on humanity,” said Brett Adcock, Founder and CEO of Figure. “AI and robotics are the future, and I am grateful to have the support of investors and partners who believe in being at the forefront.”

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Augmentus, a startup that offers no-code robotics software, has raised $5 million in Series-A funding. The round was led by Sierra Ventures, along with Cocoon Capital.

The Singapore-based startup has solutions that combine computer vision with AI to enable intelligent and no-code robotics. These solutions, maintains the company, can be used by even those with no robotic experience or programming skills to develop, deploy and re-purpose robotic systems in minutes. 

Conventional robot programming is fragmented and costly, requiring extensive training and expertise due to proprietary programming languages. This results in 75% of lifetime costs being attributed to software and programming. Augmentus’ proprietary technology serves as the eyes and brains of any industrial robots. 3D cameras gather spatial data, which is processed by its AI model to suggest the best path for the robot, even complex parts. This reduces time from four weeks to 15 minutes and cuts costs by over 70%, according to the company. 

Augmentus has supplied to more than 30 manufacturers worldwide, including Fortune 500 companies. The platform is compatible with over ten major robot OEMs, including ABB, Kawasaki, and Kuka.

The new funds will be used to scale operations in the US, Europe, and Asia. As part of its expansion plans, Augmentus will leverage its Augmentus System Partner (ASP) program to onboard system integrators and channel partners, focusing on high-mix and complex manufacturing. A portion of the investment will also be allocated to intensify research.

Leong Yong Shin, Co-Founder and CEO of Augmentus states, “We are excited to tap into Sierra Ventures’ expertise and network to execute our commercial plans and enhance our product. We are also thrilled to receive Cocoon Capital’s continued support for our vision. This funding highlights the potential future where robots can adapt to any part and process with no downtime and expertise required.”

“With the continuous growth of industrial robotics and the increasing deployment of robots in production, there is a pressing need for a more efficient and scalable programming solution,” said Ben Yu, Managing Partner at Sierra Ventures. “Augmentus’ integration of precise 3D scanning, no-code micro-adjustability, and automated code generation is the solution to this challenge.”

Will Klippgen, Managing Partner at Cocoon Capital added: “We have been impressed by how fast they reached product-market fit and engaged with some of the largest players around the world only a few months after launch. We are proud to back a team that is so committed to bringing down the cost of production by making robotics available to businesses regardless of size and industry.”

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