Mind Robotics, a groundbreaking industrial robotics lab that emerged from Rivian, has successfully secured $500 million in a Series A funding round, co-led by venture capital firms Accel and Andreessen Horowitz.
This latest funding announcement, made on Wednesday, follows a previous seed round of $115 million led by Eclipse in late 2025, bringing the total capital raised by Mind Robotics to an impressive $615 million within a few months of its inception. The startup's valuation has now reached approximately $2 billion, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Founded by Rivian's CEO RJ Scaringe, Mind Robotics was officially spun out of Rivian in November 2025, with Scaringe taking on the role of chairman. The company aims to leverage data from Rivian's electric vehicle manufacturing facilities to enhance the capabilities of industrial robots, making them more adaptable and dexterous.
According to a press release regarding the Series A funding, Mind Robotics was established to fill a critical void in current industrial automation solutions. Traditional robotics are adept at performing repetitive, stable tasks; however, many factory operations require human-like dexterity and adaptability--areas where classic robotics fall short. Mind Robotics is committed to developing the AI infrastructure, including models, hardware, and deployment systems, necessary to bridge this gap.
Scaringe indicated that a substantial number of robots will be operational by the end of this year. He has emphasized that the startup will concentrate on conventional factory robot designs rather than the much-discussed humanoid robots, stating, "Doing cartwheels does not create value in manufacturing."
Beyond utilizing training data and deployment environments, there are potential synergies between Rivian and Mind Robotics. In December, Rivian disclosed plans to develop custom silicon intended to enhance the autonomous vehicle software for its cars. Scaringe mentioned that it is plausible Rivian may provide these custom chips to Mind Robotics, as they could serve as effective robotics processors.
Mind Robotics represents the second company to be spun out from Rivian in 2025, following Also, an electric mobility startup focusing on high-end modular e-bikes and small electric cargo vehicles for Amazon. Like Mind Robotics, Also has also garnered significant investment, raising an additional $200 million from Greenoaks Capital, with its valuation currently around $1 billion.