Walden Robotics Launches with $300 Million to Put General-Purpose Robots to Work Today

Walden Robotics, a full-stack Physical AI company building and deploying general-purpose robots that put human ingenuity to work at industrial scale, led by Russ Tedrake and the team, has emerged out of stealth with $300 million in funding. The round, which values the company at $1.1 billion, is co-led by Toyota (Toyota Motor Corp, Toyota Invention Partners, and Toyota Ventures) and Deviation Capital, with participation from NVIDIA, Boeing, AE Ventures, Samsung Ventures, Prologis Ventures, CoreWeave Ventures, and financial partners Calibrate Ventures, Colle Capital, Shine Capital, NextView Ventures, Squarepoint Capital, One Madison Group, KAS Venture Partners, and Menlo Ventures, among others.

Walden deploys robots into real-world manufacturing and logistics environments, working alongside people to automate complex tasks from day one. By handling repetitive and difficult-to-automate work, the robots enable skilled workers to focus on higher-value problem-solving and decision-making. Designed to enhance human productivity rather than replace it, Walden’s technology serves industries including automotive, aerospace, semiconductors, electronics, logistics, and life sciences, helping address labor shortages, demographic challenges, and growing operational demands.

Walden’s robotics platform builds on more than a decade of AI and robotics research, including advancements in Diffusion Policy and Large Behavior Models (LBMs), which enable robots to learn new tasks quickly and improve through real-world experience. Launched from Toyota Research Institute in January 2026, the company rapidly expanded into customer deployments across multiple industries. Since February, Walden’s general-purpose robots have been operating in production at a Toyota manufacturing facility in North America, progressing from initial pilot to real-world operations in under two months.

“Recent advances in Physical AI have created new opportunities for robotics, but delivering meaningful value requires a deep understanding of real-world manufacturing. Close collaboration with industry experts is essential to developing scalable robotic systems that integrate effectively into existing production environments.”

— Dr. Russ Tedrake, Co-founder and CEO, Walden

“Walden’s ability to deploy robots that deliver value from the first day of operation, while continuously improving through learning, makes it a strong strategic partner. The company’s people-first approach aligns with core manufacturing principles focused on continuous improvement, automation with human oversight, and workforce development. Together, the partnership aims to advance the future of manufacturing and improve quality of life through practical, AI-powered robotics.”

— Hiroki Nakajima, Executive Vice President, Representative Director, and CTO, Toyota Motor Corporation

“Recent advances in AI are enabling a new generation of adaptable robots, and Walden is at the forefront of this transformation. Backed by expertise spanning robotics research, production hardware, and operational leadership, the company is deploying robots that perform real work on factory floors while helping manufacturers improve productivity and long-term competitiveness.”

— Colin Beirne, Founding Partner, Deviation Capital