Mind Robotics Hits $3.4B Valuation as AI Factory Robot Race Heats Up

Mind Robotics, the industrial robotics company founded by Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, has raised an additional $400 million in new funding. 

The latest round, led by Kleiner Perkins, brings the company’s total funding to more than $1 billion and values it at about $3.4 billion, according to a person familiar with the deal structure cited by The Wall Street Journal. The deal also included participation from investors such as Salesforce Ventures and Incharge Capital, a venture arm tied to Volkswagen. 

Mind Robotics was founded in 2025 and originally developed as an internal effort at Rivian known as “Project Synapse,” before being spun out as a standalone company in late 2025.

Rivian remains both a strategic partner and shareholder in the startup, and the companies are already working closely together. The robotics firm is currently deploying and training AI-powered robots inside Rivian’s factory in Normal, Illinois, using the site as a real-world testing ground for its systems.

What the company is building

Mind Robotics is focused on building AI-powered industrial robots designed for factory work that goes beyond simple repetitive tasks.

The company is developing a full-stack system that combines AI models, robotics hardware, and deployment infrastructure, according to AI Business. Its systems are being trained to handle complex manufacturing tasks such as assembly, material handling, inspection, and precision manipulation in live production environments. The goal is to move beyond traditional industrial robots, which are typically limited to repetitive, pre-programmed actions.

Why investors are rushing in

The robotics sector is seeing a surge of interest as companies look to AI to solve labor shortages and improve factory efficiency. Mind Robotics is entering a crowded yet fast-growing field that includes players such as Figure AI, Agility Robotics, Amazon, and Tesla, all of which are investing heavily in automation.

Kleiner Perkins partner Ilya Fushman said the opportunity is massive, calling robotics “the ultimate frontier for what’s possible with AI” and “the biggest market out there,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

With more than $1 billion in total funding and early robots already operating inside Rivian’s factories, Mind Robotics is moving from the research phase into live industrial deployment. The company now faces a crowded, fast-moving robotics race, competing with other AI-focused startups and major tech players, all chasing the same goal: building machines that can reliably work alongside humans in real factories at scale.

For more on the humanoid robot race, read eWeek’s coverage of 1X’s new California factory and its plan to produce up to 10,000 NEO robots in its first year.