Robot Ventures
About Robot Ventures
Robot Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on the AI and robotics ecosystem. The company engages in venture investing and provides research and thought leadership related to themes in AI.
With a commitment to exploring the future of technology, Robot Ventures aims to support innovations that will shape the AI century. The firm emphasizes its role in funding and fostering advancements in this dynamic field.
Robot Ventures was founded in 2019 by Robert Leshner, who also created Compound. It was first announced in April 2019. Tarun Chitra, founder and CEO of Gauntlet, joined as a partner when the second fund was set up. Early reporting said that fund had raised $4M, with half coming from Galaxy Digital's Mike Novogratz. Fortune describes Chitra as a Robot Ventures cofounder and dates that to 2022, so sources disagree on the timing. Third-party directories also list Anirudh Pai as an investment partner, Hart Lambur as a partner and Madison Piercy as COO. In August 2024 Bloomberg reported that the firm raised a $75M fund for early-stage crypto investing. The firm's X bio describes it as funding the future of automation in deep tech and finance.
The firm's roots are in crypto and fintech, and its AI deals have grown out of that network. Its largest recent AI bet is Nous Research, the open-source AI lab behind the Hermes agent. Robot Ventures led Nous's $90M Series B in October 2026, which was reported at a $1.5B valuation. Nvidia, Union Square Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Samsung and 1789 Capital also took part, and the company plans to use the money for a business-focused version of Hermes. In September 2026 the firm joined the $58M seed round of Physical Superintelligence, a physics research lab built on AI. Breakthrough Energy Ventures led that round. Chitra's public commentary often covers the overlap of mathematics, cryptography and AI. The firm's X account has also posted about Nous and Hermes usage on OpenRouter.
The firm describes itself as a pre-seed and seed investor, and it has also led or joined later rounds such as Nous's Series B. It has not published a check size. NFX Signal lists individual partner ranges: Chitra $100K to $1M with a sweet spot of $250K, Leshner $250K to $3M, and Lambur $100K to $5M. These are third-party figures and may not match current practice. The firm has led rounds as well as joined them, and one directory lists Seed through Series B as stages it leads.
- Nous Research: open-source AI lab behind the Hermes agent. Robot Ventures led its $90M Series B in October 2026.
- Physical Superintelligence: AI-native physics research lab. Robot Ventures took part in its $58M seed round in September 2026, led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
- Together AI: AI infrastructure company. Robot Ventures is listed as an investor in its $20M seed round in May 2023, led by Lux Capital, per Recent Funding.
- finance.yahoo.com/news/robert-leshner-robot-ventures-raises-122840537.
- iq.wiki/wiki/tarun-chitra
- fortune.com/crypto/2023/10/26/jump-crypto-and-bain-capital-crypto-bet-
- f4.fund/firms/robot-ventures
- siliconvalleyinvestclub.com/investors/robot-ventures
- signal.nfx.com/firms/robot-ventures
- x.com/robotventures?lang=en
- thesaasnews.com/news/nous-research-raises-90m-series-b
Investing activity
Robot Ventures appears in 2 AI deals tracked by the AI Lounge deals desk, rounds totalling $148M, and led 1 of them. The rounds are mostly Series B and Seed, with a median round size of $90M. The most recent are Nous Research (Series B, $90M, Oct 2026) and Physical Superintelligence (Seed, $58M, Sep 2026).
Robot Ventures most often invests alongside Nvidia, Menlo Ventures, Union Square Ventures and Samsung Electronics, and the companies it backs on AI Lounge are mostly in Open-source AI agents and AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Robot Ventures
Does Robot Ventures invest in AI startups?
Yes. It led Nous Research's $90M Series B in October 2026 and joined Physical Superintelligence's $58M seed round in September 2026. Its main history is in crypto and fintech.
Who leads AI investing at Robot Ventures?
The public partners are Robert Leshner and Tarun Chitra. Directories also list Anirudh Pai and Hart Lambur. The firm does not name a dedicated AI partner.
What check size does Robot Ventures write?
The firm has not published one. NFX Signal lists partner ranges from $100K to $5M, with sweet spots between $250K and $1.5M.
What stage does Robot Ventures invest at?
It describes itself as a pre-seed and seed investor. It has also led a Series B, in Nous Research.
How big is Robot Ventures' latest fund?
Bloomberg reported a $75M early-stage fund in August 2024. A directory calls it the firm's fourth fund. Earlier funds were smaller, and the second fund's first raise was $4M.
What AI companies has Robot Ventures invested in?
Robot Ventures's AI investments include Nous Research and Physical Superintelligence. The 2 rounds on AI Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Where is Robot Ventures based?
Robot Ventures is based in New York, New York, United States.
Who does Robot Ventures co-invest with?
Robot Ventures's most frequent co-investors on AI Lounge are Nvidia (2 deals), Menlo Ventures (1 deal), Union Square Ventures (1 deal), Samsung Electronics (1 deal) and M12 (1 deal).
How can founders reach Robot Ventures?
Founders on AI Lounge can see Robot Ventures's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with the firm under Warm Paths, and add Robot Ventures to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.