Physical Intelligence

About Physical Intelligence

Physical Intelligence (π) is a San Francisco-based artificial intelligence company developing general-purpose foundation models for robots. Founded in 2024 by leading researchers from Google DeepMind, Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and other prominent AI institutions, the company focuses on creating universal AI systems that allow robots to learn and perform a wide range of physical tasks across different hardware platforms. Its foundation models are designed to generalize across manipulation tasks such as folding laundry, assembling objects, and handling unfamiliar items with human-like dexterity. Rather than building robots itself, Physical Intelligence develops the software layer that enables embodied AI, allowing diverse robotic platforms to acquire new skills through large-scale training and multimodal learning.

Physical Intelligence History

1. 2024

   Physical Intelligence is founded by a cross-lab research team

   Physical Intelligence was founded in early 2024 by CEO Karol Hausman (former Google DeepMind), Sergey Levine (UC Berkeley), Chelsea Finn (Stanford), Lachy Groom (former Stripe), Adnan Esmail, Brian Ichter, and Quan Vuong.

   DeepMindStanfordBerkeley
2. 2024

   The seed round values the company at $2B

   Its initial $400 million round at $2 billion valuation was led by Jeff Bezos, Lux Capital, and Thrive Capital, with backing from Khosla Ventures, OpenAI, Sequoia, and Redpoint.

   BezosLuxThrive
3. October 2024

   π0 demonstrates a generalist robotics model

   In October 2024, Physical Intelligence released π0, a foundation model demonstrating unprecedented generalist capabilities, robots folding laundry, peeling vegetables, and assembling boxes.

   π0Generalist manipulation
4. November 2025

   Series B pushes valuation to $5.6B

   By November 2025, a $600 million Series B led by Alphabet's CapitalG brought total funding past $1 billion at $5.6 billion valuation. The company prioritizes fundamental research over near-term revenue, betting that a single general-purpose model can eventually control any physically-actuated device.

   CapitalGSeries B

Physical Intelligence (π) is a San Francisco-based startup building general-purpose foundation models for robots, enabling them to perform complex tasks like folding laundry, assembling boxes, and manipulating objects with human-like dexterity. Co-founded in 2024 by leading researchers from Google DeepMind, Stanford, and UC Berkeley, the company has raised over $1 billion at a $5.6 billion valuation.