Skild AI, a Carnegie Mellon spinout building a general-purpose AI model that can control many kinds of robots, raised the largest round in this guide: about $1.4 billion in a Series C led by SoftBank in January 2026, at a valuation of more than $14 billion. In July 2024 it had raised a $300 million Series A at a $1.5 billion valuation.
Skild AI also raised a Series B in 2025 that was reported at about $500 million. Among rounds with a disclosed amount, the next largest went to Abridge, whose AI turns doctor and patient conversations into clinical notes. It raised $550 million across two rounds in 2025. Gecko Robotics, Efficient Computer and Peptilogics also raised rounds above $75 million. Most of the other rounds below were between $3.5 million and $40 million, raised by companies in robotics, AI security, chips, retail software and mining.
This guide covers notable rounds raised in 2025 and 2026 by AI and robotics companies headquartered in Pittsburgh, the investors who backed them, and the university labs and programs that many of these companies came out of.
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Pittsburgh tech funding in 2025
Companies in the Pittsburgh region raised about $2.29 billion in 2025, up from $1.89 billion in 2024, even though the number of deals fell from 205 to 148. Venture capital firms put in $2.06 billion, more than double the $999 million of 2024 and the most on record for the region. Hardware and robotics companies took 51.8% of the dollars, life sciences 34.3% and software 13.6%. That regional total also includes Agility Robotics’ $400 million Series C. Agility is headquartered in Oregon and has an office in Pittsburgh, so it is not in the lists below.
Notable Pittsburgh AI rounds of 2025
- Abridge raised a $250 million Series D co-led by Elad Gil and IVP in February 2025, at a $2.75 billion valuation. In June it raised a $300 million Series E led by Andreessen Horowitz, with Khosla Ventures, at a reported $5.3 billion valuation. Abridge has opened a large office in San Francisco, but the company says Pittsburgh remains its corporate headquarters.
- Skild AI raised a Series B in mid-2025 at a reported $4.5 billion valuation, led by SoftBank with Nvidia among the investors. The amount was not officially announced; it was reported at about $500 million.
- Gecko Robotics, which makes wall-climbing robots that inspect boilers, pipelines and other industrial assets and runs AI software on the data they collect, raised a $125 million Series D led by Cox Enterprises in June 2025. The round valued the company at $1.25 billion.
- Peptilogics, a clinical-stage biotech that uses AI to design peptide drugs, closed a $78 million Series B2 co-led by Presight Capital, Thiel Bio and Founders Fund in October 2025. The money will take zaloganan, its treatment for prosthetic joint infections, into its next clinical trial.
- Mine Vision Systems, which uses camera-based 3D mapping and analytics to help underground mines plan their work, raised a $12.5 million Series A led by Rockwell Venture Capital, with Condire Investors, in November 2025.
- BlastPoint, whose AI customer intelligence software helps utilities and financial firms decide which customers to contact and how, raised $10.6 million in growth funding led by MissionOG in October 2025.
- Lovelace AI, which combines data from many sources in real time for defense and commercial decisions, closed a seed round led by RRE Ventures in May 2025. Its founder Andrew Moore is a former dean of Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science.
Notable Pittsburgh AI rounds of 2026
Skild AI’s January Series C was led by SoftBank, with Nvidia’s venture arm, Macquarie, Bezos Expeditions and 1789 Capital among the other investors. Chief executive Deepak Pathak has said the company has raised more than $2 billion in total.
Efficient Computer, a Carnegie Mellon spinout that designs energy-efficient general-purpose processors for AI in devices such as robots, drones and wearables, raised twice in 2026. It closed a $60 million Series A led by Triatomic Capital in February, then signed agreements in September for more than $97 million in a Series B led by TQ Ventures, at a reported $650 million valuation. Including earlier funding, it has raised $173 million in total.
Gather AI, which uses drones and cameras with AI to count and track inventory in warehouses, raised a $40 million Series B led by Smith Point Capital Management in February 2026.
Gray Swan, an AI security company founded by Carnegie Mellon researchers Matt Fredrikson and Zico Kolter, raised a $40 million Series A co-led by Wing Venture Capital and Madrona in May 2026. Its software tests AI models and agents for weaknesses before launch and blocks harmful behavior once they are running.
Hellbender, which designs and manufactures cameras with built-in AI processors at its Pittsburgh campus, raised a $12.5 million seed round co-led by Magarac Venture Partners and Veredas Partners in May 2026.
Profitmind, whose AI agents help retailers set prices, plan promotions and manage inventory, raised a $9 million Series A led by Accenture Ventures in February 2026. AI Fund, the venture studio led by Andrew Ng, also invested.
Shelfmark, which uses cameras and computer vision to find defects on factory lines that make films, paper, webbing and other materials on rolls, raised a $3.5 million seed round led by Armory Square Ventures in August 2026.
In June 2026 Abridge said Eli Lilly had made a strategic investment of an undisclosed amount, alongside a deal with Nvidia to build an AI model for clinical conversations.
Pittsburgh AI startups at a glance
The table lists the rounds covered above, newest first.
| Company | What it builds | Funding | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Efficient Computer | Energy-efficient processors for AI in devices | More than $97M Series B led by TQ Ventures, reported $650M valuation | Sep 2026 |
| Shelfmark | AI defect detection for roll-based manufacturing | $3.5M seed led by Armory Square Ventures | Aug 2026 |
| Gray Swan | Security testing and protection for AI models | $40M Series A co-led by Wing VC and Madrona | May 2026 |
| Hellbender | Cameras with built-in AI processors | $12.5M seed co-led by Magarac and Veredas Partners | May 2026 |
| Profitmind | AI agents for retail pricing and inventory | $9M Series A led by Accenture Ventures | Feb 2026 |
| Efficient Computer | Energy-efficient processors for AI in devices | $60M Series A led by Triatomic Capital | Feb 2026 |
| Gather AI | Warehouse inventory drones and cameras | $40M Series B led by Smith Point Capital | Feb 2026 |
| Skild AI | General-purpose AI model for robots | About $1.4B Series C led by SoftBank, valued above $14B | Jan 2026 |
| Mine Vision Systems | 3D mapping and analytics for underground mines | $12.5M Series A led by Rockwell Venture Capital | Nov 2025 |
| Peptilogics | AI-designed peptide drugs | $78M Series B2 | Oct 2025 |
| BlastPoint | AI customer intelligence for utilities | $10.6M growth round led by MissionOG | Oct 2025 |
| Skild AI | General-purpose AI model for robots | Series B led by SoftBank, reported at about $500M and a $4.5B valuation | Mid-2025 |
| Abridge | AI clinical documentation | $300M Series E led by Andreessen Horowitz, reported $5.3B valuation | Jun 2025 |
| Gecko Robotics | Inspection robots and AI software for industrial assets | $125M Series D led by Cox Enterprises, $1.25B valuation | Jun 2025 |
| Lovelace AI | Real-time data fusion for defense | Seed led by RRE Ventures | May 2025 |
| Abridge | AI clinical documentation | $250M Series D co-led by Elad Gil and IVP, $2.75B valuation | Feb 2025 |
Where Pittsburgh’s robotics companies come from
Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute was established in 1979, and the university says the world’s first robotics PhD program started there in 1989. Its National Robotics Engineering Center, in Lawrenceville, has worked on commercial and government robotics projects since the 1990s. In February 2015 Uber announced a partnership with Carnegie Mellon and opened a self-driving research center in Pittsburgh, then hired dozens of the university’s robotics researchers.
That talent pool produced two large autonomous-vehicle companies. Argo AI, backed by Ford and Volkswagen, announced its shutdown in October 2022, and 679 of its employees in southwestern Pennsylvania lost their jobs. Within a year, Argo’s former leaders Bryan Salesky and Peter Rander had started Stack AV, an autonomous trucking company backed by SoftBank Group. Aurora Innovation, which is listed on Nasdaq and keeps its headquarters in Pittsburgh, began driverless commercial trucking between Dallas and Houston in May 2025.
Many of the 2025 and 2026 rounds above went to companies with the same roots. Skild AI was founded by Carnegie Mellon professors Deepak Pathak and Abhinav Gupta. Efficient Computer, Gray Swan and Gather AI were also started by people from the university. The Pittsburgh Robotics Network, the region’s industry group, counts more than 260 robotics, AI and other deep tech companies with more than 11,300 employees.
Carnegie Mellon opened its $100 million, 150,000-square-foot Robotics Innovation Center next to Mill 19 at Hazelwood Green. In April 2026 it hosted a Draft Week event built around the $1.275 million Forge AI Prize, made up of $1 million in AWS credits and $275,000 in investment capital, mostly from Magarac Venture Partners.
Who invests in Pittsburgh AI startups
The largest rounds above were led by investors from outside Pennsylvania, including SoftBank, Andreessen Horowitz, IVP, Elad Gil, Cox Enterprises, TQ Ventures, Wing Venture Capital, Madrona and Smith Point Capital Management. Local firms such as Innovation Works and Magarac Venture Partners mostly invest at earlier stages.
Innovation Works has a seed fund and runs the AlphaLab accelerator and the Robotics Factory program for hardware and robotics startups. It also co-organized an AI and robotics venture day at Carnegie Mellon in September 2025 where 32 startups pitched.
Magarac Venture Partners writes first checks of $500,000 to $5 million, usually at seed and Series A, and invested in Gray Swan, Hellbender, Profitmind and Lovelace AI. Birchmere Ventures and Riverfront Ventures are Pittsburgh early-stage funds. Carnegie Mellon’s VentureBridge program invests in and runs an accelerator for startups from the university.
Frequently asked questions
What AI companies are in Pittsburgh?
AI and robotics companies headquartered in Pittsburgh that raised money in 2025 and 2026 include Skild AI, Abridge, Gecko Robotics, Peptilogics, Efficient Computer, Gather AI, Gray Swan, Hellbender, Profitmind, Mine Vision Systems, BlastPoint, Lovelace AI and Shelfmark. Aurora Innovation, a public autonomous trucking company, and Stack AV are also based in the city.
What were the largest Pittsburgh AI rounds of 2025 and 2026?
Skild AI’s Series C of about $1.4 billion in January 2026 was the largest, followed by its 2025 Series B, which was reported at about $500 million. Among rounds with a disclosed amount, Abridge’s $300 million Series E in June 2025 and $250 million Series D in February 2025 came next, followed by Gecko Robotics’ $125 million Series D in June 2025 and Efficient Computer’s Series B of more than $97 million in September 2026.
Which Pittsburgh AI companies are valued at $1 billion or more?
Skild AI was valued at more than $14 billion after its January 2026 Series C. Abridge was valued at a reported $5.3 billion after its June 2025 Series E, and Gecko Robotics at $1.25 billion after its June 2025 Series D.
Why are so many robotics companies in Pittsburgh?
Many of them trace back to Carnegie Mellon. Its Robotics Institute dates to 1979, and people from its labs founded or led Skild AI, Argo AI, Aurora and Stack AV, along with many smaller companies. The Pittsburgh Robotics Network counts more than 260 deep tech companies in the region.
What happened to Argo AI?
Argo AI, the Pittsburgh self-driving company backed by Ford and Volkswagen, announced in October 2022 that it was shutting down, and parts of the business were absorbed into the two automakers. Its former chief executive Bryan Salesky and president Peter Rander went on to start Stack AV with backing from SoftBank in 2023.
For how Pittsburgh compares with other cities outside Silicon Valley, see Bot Memo’s ranking of tier 2 AI startup hubs, the full AI startup funding by city breakdown, the list of top AI robotics startups, and the guides to AI companies in Denver and Chicago.
About the author
Editorial Staff
The Editorial Staff at Bot Memo is a team of writers, analysts, and AI agents dedicated to mapping the global AI startup ecosystem. Led by Chintan Zalani, the team tracks thousands of funding rounds, classifies companies across verticals, and distills it all into actionable intelligence for investors and founders.
