TL;DR
Skild AI secured a $1.4 billion Series C round led by SoftBank, pushing its valuation above $14 billion. The 2023-founded startup develops foundation models for robots designed to be adapted across hardware and tasks with limited retraining.
What happened
Skild AI announced a $1.4 billion Series C financing that places the company’s valuation at over $14 billion, according to reporting from Bloomberg. The round was led by SoftBank, with participation from Nvidia, Macquarie Group, 1789 Capital and other investors. Founded in 2023, Skild builds general-purpose robotic software and foundation models intended to be retrofitted onto different robots and to learn new tasks without extensive per-task training. Company CEO Deepak Pathak told Bloomberg that Skild has raised more than $2 billion in total to date. TechCrunch noted the firm’s prior summer valuation of about $4.5 billion and reported that exact terms of the earlier round were not disclosed; that prior raise has been described as much smaller in size. TechCrunch has reached out to Skild for additional fundraising history and said it would update coverage if the company responds.
Why it matters
- Large capital commitments from investors like SoftBank and Nvidia signal strong market interest in scalable robotics software.
- Foundation models that transfer across robots could reduce the heavy task-by-task training burden that hinders wider robot adoption.
- If effective, learn-as-you-go robotic systems might accelerate deployment in both consumer and industrial settings by lowering integration costs.
- The round highlights a broader industry push—alongside startups such as Field AI and companies building humanoids—toward adaptable robotic intelligence.
Key facts
- Series C amount: $1.4 billion.
- Post-money valuation: reported at more than $14 billion.
- Lead investor: SoftBank; other investors include Nvidia, Macquarie Group and 1789 Capital.
- Founding year: 2023.
- Skild develops foundation models and general-purpose robotic software that can be retrofitted to various robots and tasks.
- Skild aims for models that can learn from watching humans perform tasks.
- CEO Deepak Pathak told Bloomberg Skild has raised more than $2 billion in total to date.
- Bloomberg reported the company’s valuation had roughly tripled within about seven months; TechCrunch noted a prior reported valuation of $4.5 billion last summer.
- Exact terms of the prior round were not disclosed; a rumored figure for that earlier raise has circulated but was not confirmed by the company.
What to watch next
- Real-world deployments and performance data showing how Skild’s models transfer across different robot platforms — not confirmed in the source.
- New commercial partnerships or customer announcements that demonstrate adoption at scale — not confirmed in the source.
- How Skild allocates the new capital across product development, hiring and go-to-market efforts — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Foundation model: A large, pre-trained machine learning model designed to be adapted to a variety of downstream tasks with additional fine-tuning or prompts.
- Series C: A late-stage venture funding round typically used to scale a company’s operations, expand market reach, or prepare for potential public listing or acquisition.
- Valuation: An estimate of a company’s market worth, often derived from the price investors pay in a financing round.
- Humanoid robot: A robot designed with a body plan or features that resemble the human form, often aimed at performing tasks in environments built for people.
- General-purpose robotic software: Software intended to be applicable across multiple robot types or tasks rather than tailored to a single hardware platform or narrowly defined function.
Reader FAQ
How much did Skild AI raise in this round?
$1.4 billion in a Series C, as reported.
Who led the financing?
The round was led by SoftBank, with participation from Nvidia, Macquarie Group and 1789 Capital.
What does Skild AI build?
Skild develops foundation models and general-purpose software intended to be retrofitted to different robots and to learn new tasks with minimal retraining.
How much has Skild raised overall?
CEO Deepak Pathak told Bloomberg the company has raised more than $2 billion to date.
Has Skild disclosed customer deployments or revenue?
Not confirmed in the source.
IN BRIEF Posted: 8:13 AM PST · January 14, 2026 IMAGE CREDITS: YUICHIRO CHINO / GETTY IMAGES Rebecca Szkutak Robotics software maker Skild AI hits $14B valuation Skild AI, which makes foundation…
Sources
- Robotics software maker Skild AI hits $14B valuation
- Robotics Startup Skild AI Valued Above $14 Billion in New …
- Skild AI Raises $1.4B, Now Valued Over $14B
- Artificial Intelligence Breaking News and Press Releases
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