Robotics startup Generalist AI is in talks to raise a new funding round at a $3 billion valuation

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Robotics startup Generalist AI is in talks with investors to raise a new funding round that would value the company at $3 billion.

Venture firm 8VC is expected to lead the round, according to people familiar with the discussions.

The round is in progress, and details could change. Generalist AI and 8VC did not respond to requests for comment.

It's the latest example of investors pouring money into "physical AI" — AI systems that can act in the real world. Generalist is competing with startups like Physical Intelligence, valued at more than $11 billion, Skild AI, valued at more than $14 billion, Field AI, valued at $2 billion, and Genesis AI, which is in talks to raise funding at a $3 billion valuation.

The fresh funding comes just one month after Generalist announced it had raised $400 million to develop more sophisticated AI models for robots. That round valued the company at $2 billion and was led by Radical Ventures, with participation from 8VC, Union Square Ventures, Nvidia, and Bezos Expeditions.

Generalist was founded in 2024 by former Google DeepMind robotics researchers Pete Florence and Andy Zeng and former Boston Dynamics roboticist Andrew Barry.

Generalists' angel investors include Xiaomi cofounder Bin Lin, Stanford professor and World Labs cofounder Fei-Fei Li, and AngelList cofounder Naval Ravikant.

Generalist is building the AI “brains” that power robots. Its models are designed to work across different robots and environments, from factories and laboratories to homes and space. Rather than building robots itself, the startup is developing the intelligence that allows machines to understand and act in the physical world.

Its latest model, GEN-1, is designed to teach robots basic physical tasks. Generalist has released videos showing robots powered by its software performing dexterous tasks, including folding laundry, sorting Lego bricks, and using a whisk to mix baking ingredients.

Rya is a senior reporter at Business Insider covering physical AI and robotics. She writes about factory automation, humanoid robots, and the race to collect the real-world data needed to bring AI into the physical world. She previously worked at The San Francisco Standard, where she reported on tech culture and autonomous vehicles. She has a bachelor’s degree in history and politics from Pomona College and a master’s in history from the University of Cambridge. Rya lives in San Francisco. Contact her at [email protected] or on Signal at rjetha.07. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device. Here's our guide to sharing information securely.