Robotics Startup Eka Reaches $1.45 Billion Valuation Following $150 Million Series A Funding Round

Robotics startup Eka Robotics has closed a $150 million Series A funding round, pushing its post-money valuation to $1.45 billion. Led by venture funds a16z and F-Prime, the investment follows the development of a physical artificial intelligence manipulation architecture that combines a force-sensitive gripper with a new deep-learning model.

Founded by MIT professor Pulkit Agrawal and former Google DeepMind researcher Tuomas Haarnoja, Eka relies on a vision-force-action model instead of traditional vision-language-action schemas. The system uses a physics simulator and reinforcement learning to generate thousands of hours of training experience in minutes. According to the company, the robot can handle roughly 1,500 objects weighing up to one kilogram per hour with a reliability rate above 95%.

The technology aims to bridge the gap between general intelligence and high-performance physical execution. While top-down systems like large language models can direct a robot in an unfamiliar setting, Eka’s bottom-up approach handles physical dexterity, such as gently touching a delicate object without breaking it. Despite shocking veteran roboticists with its speed and adaptability, Eka faces hurdles moving from lab demonstrations to real-world assembly lines.

Industry experts note the company must prove its hardware can run continuously for a year and generalize beyond pick-and-place