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

Mind Robotics, an industrial robotics startup spun out of electric vehicle maker Rivian in November 2025, has raised $500 million in a Series A funding round co-led by Accel and Andreessen Horowitz. This follows a $115 million seed round led by Eclipse, bringing total funding to $615 million and valuing the company at around $2 billion. Founded by Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, who remains chairman, Mind Robotics aims to leverage data from Rivian’s EV factory to develop AI-powered industrial robots with enhanced dexterity and adaptability—capabilities that traditional industrial robots lack. The company focuses on building the AI foundation, including models, hardware, and deployment infrastructure, to address complex factory tasks requiring human-like physical reasoning. Scaringe emphasized that Mind Robotics will prioritize practical, traditional factory robot designs over humanoid robots, which have attracted recent hype but offer limited manufacturing value. The startup plans to deploy a significant number of robots by the end of 2026. Additionally,