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Robotics & Autonomy·October 9, 2026·1 min read

From Anthropic to Waymo: Kleiner Perkins Bets on AI’s Next Act

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Top-tier venture is explicitly rotating from pure software AI into "physical AI"—autonomy, robotics, AVs—as the next trillion-dollar surface. If you run a business with repetitive physical workflows, assume your cost structure will be benchmarked against AI-augmented or robotic alternatives within a few planning cycles.

Robotics & Autonomy

Warehouse robotics startup Ultra raised a $12M seed and a $50M Series A, and expands its deal with Physical Intelligence to supply AI software for its robots

Ultra pulling in $62M across seed and Series A while locking in Physical Intelligence for its autonomy stack shows capital is now comfortable underwriting integrated robot+AI plays, not just point solutions. If you run logistics or light manufacturing, 2026–2027 is when multi-vendor robot fleets with shared AI brains start to look like a realistic pilot, not a science project.