Genesis AI

Robotics has emerged as a major tech investment area, marked by surging funding ($15 billion globally in 2025) and high attendance at conferences like Actuate. While interest in "Physical AI" is ubiquitous, the industry's primary constraint remains hardware scarcity, with data vendors outnumbering hardware companies at the expo hall.

Humanoid robots are gaining attention in Silicon Valley's AI boom, but some investors argue non-humanoid designs like wheeled robots are more practical. Companies such as Genesis AI and Sunday Robotics focus on specialized forms, while critics like Ajay Agarwal question the efficiency of humanoid bodies.

Genesis AI's new robot Eno, designed by a French startup backed by Eric Schmidt, does not resemble a human with a head or legs. Instead, it features a wheeled base and human-like hands, emphasizing general-purpose functionality over human appearance.

French robotics startup Genesis AI unveiled Eno, its first non-humanoid general-purpose robot designed to extend human capabilities, backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, with commercial deployment planned from late 2026.

Genesis AI has unveiled GENE-26.5, a robotic brain designed to help robots perform complex tasks with human-level manipulation. The system pairs a robotics foundation model with a human-scale dexterous robotic hand and includes a new data engine. This allows robots to learn from human movement and handle tasks that require precision and coordination.

Genesis AI, a robotics startup backed by Khosla, has unveiled its first model, GENE-26.5, and showcased a demo of robotic hands performing complex tasks after raising $105 million in seed funding. The company aims to build foundational AI for robotics.