Rivian spin-out Mind Robotics raises $500M for industrial AI-powered robots

Mind Robotics, a newly established industrial robotics lab emerging from Rivian, has successfully raised $500 million in a Series A funding round. This impressive financing effort was jointly led by prominent venture firms Accel and Andreessen Horowitz. Announced on Wednesday, this funding follows a previous $115 million seed round led by Eclipse in late 2025, bringing the total capital raised to $615 million in just a few months since the lab's inception. The latest funding round has pushed Mind Robotics' valuation to approximately $2 billion, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. Founded by Rivian's CEO RJ Scaringe, the company was spun off from Rivian in November 2025, with Scaringe taking on the role of chairman. The primary goal is to leverage data from Rivian’s electric vehicle manufacturing processes to enhance the dexterity and adaptability of industrial robots, demonstrating their effectiveness in real-world applications. According to a press release announcing the Series A funding, Mind Robotics aims to fill a significant gap in current industrial automation capabilities. Traditional industrial robots excel at repetitive and consistent tasks, but many factory operations require the agility, adaptability, and physical reasoning akin to human workers—areas where conventional robotics falls short. Scaringe emphasized that Mind Robotics is dedicated to building an AI foundation that includes models, hardware, and deployment infrastructure to bridge this gap. Scaringe indicated that a considerable number of robots should be operational by the end of this year. He has also reiterated the startup's commitment to developing traditional factory robot designs, steering clear of the flashy humanoid robots that have dominated recent headlines, such as those created by Tesla. "Performing cartwheels does not add value in manufacturing," Scaringe remarked in a conversation with The Wall Street Journal. Looking ahead, there are multiple avenues for collaboration between Rivian and Mind Robotics. Last December, Rivian announced its efforts in developing custom silicon aimed at powering the autonomous vehicle software for their cars. In an interview with TechCrunch, Scaringe noted that it’s not far-fetched to envision Rivian possibly supplying these custom chips to Mind Robotics, stating, "It’s a robotics processor, so it could be very beneficial for that purpose." Mind Robotics marks the second company spun out of Rivian in 2025, following the launch of Also, an electric mobility firm focusing on high-end modular e-bikes and small electric cargo vehicles for Amazon. That startup has also secured an additional $200 million in backing from Greenoaks Capital, bringing its valuation to around $1 billion.