Tangent Robotics
Columbia University spinout in New York building robot hands with light-based touch sensing and learning methods for fine assembly work.
Tangent Robotics has raised $4.5M across 1 disclosed rounds since Sep 30, 2026; the latest round, Pre-seed, was announced on Sep 30, 2026. Data as of Oct 1, 2026.
- Robotics funding from mid-September to mid-October 2026: chips, data and safety took the private money while humanoid makers turned to stock markets
In the 30 days to October 14, 2026, MEKAWIRE verified 14 private robotics rounds with disclosed amounts worth $1,071.3 million. Compute chips took 51.3%, robot models 20.5% and data, perception and safety software 8.7%, while humanoid makers received $10 million, or 0.9%, against 13.4% between January and mid-September. The four October rounds, Mecka, Multiply Labs, SafeWorld and Minerva Humanoids, paid for what stands between a capable robot and a paid deployment, while humanoid makers raised through an IPO, a SPAC and a Form D offering.
Mentioned - Minerva Humanoids raises about $10 million pre-seed from General Catalyst for a teleoperated humanoid aimed at bomb disposal and oil rigs
Minerva Humanoids said in a GlobeNewswire release on Oct 6 that it raised about $10 million in a pre-seed round led by General Catalyst, with Long Journey Ventures and Credo Ventures co-leading. The San Francisco start-up, founded at the end of 2025 by alumni of Tesla's Optimus programme and Boston Dynamics, is building Roger, a semi-autonomous humanoid an operator drives through a VR headset, and starts paid pilots this autumn.
Mentioned - Skild AI and Figure top the largest humanoid and embodied-AI funding rounds of 2025-2026, as money moves from robot bodies to robot brains
Skild AI's $1.4 billion Series C, led by SoftBank, and Figure AI's $1 billion Series C, led by Parkway Venture Capital, are the two largest humanoid and embodied-AI rounds in MEKAWIRE's verified records since January 2025, and together make up 41% of the $5.86 billion disclosed across 22 rounds. Humanoid makers took 70% of disclosed money in 2025, but developers of robot foundation models have taken 71% in 2026 so far, and NVIDIA joined seven rounds without leading one.
Mentioned - Columbia spinout Tangent Robotics raises $4.5 million to give factory robots a sense of touch
Tangent Robotics, a New York company spun out of Columbia Engineering, said on 30 September 2026 it raised a $4.5 million pre-seed round co-led by Fly Ventures and Toyota Ventures. It is building robot hands with light-based touch sensors and learning methods for fine assembly tasks such as connector mating and gear meshing.
Subject - Gradient leads US$7.6 million round for Feather, which sells a US$29,990 two-armed robot and lets buyers pick the brain
Feather Robotics, a US startup selling an open-hardware wheeled robot with two arms for US$29,990, raised US$7.6 million in a round led by Gradient, the lead investor said on 30 September 2026. Gradient said Feather has already passed US$1 million in revenue, with robots at work in manufacturing and food service.
Mentioned - Andreessen Horowitz leads $7.5 million pre-seed for Aleph Surgical, which wants robots to operate without a surgeon at the controls
Aleph Surgical, which is building autonomous surgical robots on embodied foundation models, said on 30 September 2026 that it raised $7.5 million in a pre-seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz. The company says its first system is already learning surgical tasks from demonstrations, but it has published no success rates.
Mentioned - Extend Robotics raises GBP 2.6 million Pre-A to sell factories finished work instead of robots
Extend Robotics said on Sep 28 that it closed a GBP 2.6 million Pre-A round led by Skyworks Venture Capital Fund, with Neo Venture (Europe) and Zip Capital joining. The Reading-based teleoperation company charges customers for completed work rather than equipment, says it has 35 subscription customers, and will use the money to expand across UK and European industry and build a remote operator network.
Mentioned - D-Robotics raises US$400 million to sell its Sunrise chips as the compute layer for China's robot makers
D-Robotics, the robot-chip business Horizon Robotics stopped consolidating in March, said on 17 September 2026 it had closed a US$400 million Series C without naming a single investor or a valuation. The company says it has shipped more than 8 million Sunrise chips and that its newest S600 part won more than 20 robot customers within six months, including UBTECH, Fourier and Booster Robotics.
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