Prototype
Phantom MK1
Foundation Robotics Labs
PrivateFoundation Robotics Labs is a San Francisco-based startup developing general-purpose humanoid robots for defense and hazardous-environment applications.
Founded 2024$198M raised
Foundation Robotics Labs is a San Francisco-based startup developing general-purpose humanoid robots for defense and hazardous-environment applications.
Foundation Robotics Labs is a robotics company based in San Francisco, California, developing general-purpose humanoid robots for defense, industrial, and hazardous-environment applications. Founded in 2024 by Sankaet Pathak, Arjun Sethi, and Mike LeBlanc, the company combines vertically integrated hardware with AI-driven autonomy to build humanoids capable of operating in demanding and high-risk environments where human access is limited or dangerous. Its flagship platform, Phantom MK1, is designed for industrial automation, inspection, logistics, defense, and disaster response, combining camera-based perception, dexterous manipulation, and language-driven task execution. Foundation Robotics Labs has positioned itself as a developer of rugged, mission-ready humanoid systems for real-world operational deployment.
Platform maturity, autonomy stack, and flagship-system specifications in one view.
A concise view of platform maturity and deployment footprint.
Capabilities and model layers highlighted by the company.
Published operating specifications for the lead system.
The company targets 40 robots in 2025, scaling to 10,000 in 2026 and 50,000 by 2027.
Foundation Robotics Labs was founded in April 2024 by Sankaet Pathak, Arjun Sethi, and Mike LeBlanc, a former US Marine who previously co-founded Cobalt AI. Pathak had previously founded Synapse, a fintech platform.
The company raised $11 million in pre-seed in August 2024 led by Tribe Capital, bringing total funding to ~$21 million. The Phantom MK1 stands 5'9", weighs 176 pounds, supports 44-pound payloads, and walks at 1.7 m/s.
In December 2024, Foundation acquired Boardwalk Robotics, a IHMC spinoff. In February 2026, Foundation sent two Phantom robots to Ukraine, marking the first deployment of armed humanoid robots to any active combat zone.
The company targets 40 robots in 2025, scaling to 10,000 in 2026 and 50,000 by 2027.
