SoftBank in talks to lead US$500 million AI robotics funding

SOFTBANK Group is in talks to lead a US$500 million funding round for Skild AI, a startup building robotics software, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The startup would be valued at US$4 billion, up from the US$1.5 billion valuation it had last year after a star-studded deal including Jeff Bezos, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Coatue Management. The new round for Skild, founded in 2023, is a reflection of venture capital optimism about the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics.

A representative for SoftBank declined to comment. A representative for Skild did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Financial Times earlier reported some details of the deal.

Skild is developing software that will allow robots to perform increasingly complicated tasks. The Pittsburgh-based company was founded by a pair of professors at Carnegie Mellon University, Deepak Pathak and Abhinav Gupta, who were also former AI researchers at Meta Platforms.

The deal underscores SoftBank’s enthusiasm for AI. The Japanese conglomerate plans to commit US$19 billion to Stargate, President Donald Trump’s AI infrastructure effort. In December, SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son said during a visit to President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago that the firm planned to invest US$100 billion in the US over the next four years.

Other investors in Skild include Amazon.com, Menlo Ventures, Felicis, CRV, General Catalyst and Sequoia Capital. BLOOMBERG