Robotics and physical AI startups raised a record $16 billion in Q1 across nearly 500 deals · Digg

/Tech8h ago

Robotics and physical AI startups raised a record $16 billion in Q1 across nearly 500 deals

Investors are now asking to reopen closed funding rounds.

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Original post

Rohan Paul@rohanpaul_ai

Q1 marked an inflection point for Robotics and Physical AI:

PitchBook recorded roughly $16B of investment across just under 500 deals, an all-time high on both axes.

versus the 2021–2025 run-rate, deal count is up about 2x while deal value is up 4.5x.

So investors are underwriting a new AI cost curve: foundation-model capability migrating from screens into manipulators, vehicles, warehouses, factories, hospitals, and homes.

--- Source: A16Z

substack .com/@ therealrandomwalk/p-203608554

9:24 PM · Jun 26, 2026 · 5.6K Views

Sentiment

Some users dismiss the record robotics and physical AI investment surge as a 2021-style bubble unlikely to survive supply chain stress, while others criticize VCs for having only access as a skill.

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Related links

Charts of the Week: Cycles, different but the same

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Posts from X

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VIEWS41

Mike Carrieri@mcarrieri

@rohanpaul_ai #266 9/30/2019 #gesicht

1d41

RETWEETS1

Astrid Wilde 🌞@astridwilde1

raising money in robotics 14 months ago:

this is interesting and you're cool but robots?? seems too early

raising money in robotics today:

hey i know you already closed the round but would you consider reopening another one for us?? please???

a16z@a16z

VC interest in robotics is surging

Charts of the Week: https://www.a16z.news/p/charts-of-the-week-cycles-different

2h3.2K3110

Robot Capital@robot_capital

@rohanpaul_ai Deal count up, architecture questions unchanged.

1d36

stefanveliki@stefanveliki137

@rohanpaul_ai What memory will any of these robots run on? How about the robots that build those robots?

1d22

ok@nasjacked420

@astridwilde1 VCs are actually so bad at what they do. The only thing they have is access.

1h1

AriBlockchain@BlkchainAri

@rohanpaul_ai its 2021 all over again. i remember. VCs love a robotics bubble but most cant survive real supply chain stress.

1d1