Rockets and Robotaxis and Robots! Oh My!
Big people moves at three leading robotics companies. Also, fail fast is not the motto in China.
From NASA to Startups: How the Bay Area is Shaping the Future of Space Exploration
In the popular mind, the Bay Area—which includes Silicon Valley—is identified with industries such as computer hardware, software, semiconductors, or social media, while the space industry is primarily identified with Southern California, Florida, or Texas. The Bay Area, however, has a deep history in the space sector and is playing a revolutionary role there as well. This report from the Bay Area Economic Council assesses the space industry in the region—its roots and development, its current focus, and its contributions to US competitiveness and the national space mission.
Zoox’s Hayward robotaxi factory gets rolling
Amazon's Zoox says its new Hayward factory is the first-ever purpose-built robotaxi serial production facility in the U.S., and once at full scale, it will have the capacity to assemble more than 10,000 robotaxis a year. STORY: https://abc7news.com/16789468/
Fail fast is not the motto in China
Shenzhen calls for leniency towards founders whose startups fail - don’t know what the punishments are but some clues are in China’s social credit score and the likelihood that one failed project will have ongoing negative impact on any future applications for funding, for business or for research.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Coolest Thing Made in California - Apply by Aug 29, 2025
The 2025 search is on! Nominations are now open in the search to find the Coolest Thing Made in California. With past finalists including everything from edible cups to personal air taxis, each product represents the innovation and creativity coming from California’s manufacturing industry. Submit your favorite California-made products and see what takes home the title!
Nominate a Product!
Berkeley SkyDeck Applications Close Aug 22, 2025
Roughly 20 startups are selected every 6 months to receive a $200,000 investment from the Berkeley SkyDeck Fund. Learn more here.
Startups from all over the world are eligible and encouraged to apply. Historically, about 2/3 of the startups were founded outside the US. UC-affiliated companies and international startups continue to be a priority for SkyDeck. Learn more about the Global Founders Program.
California Competes Tax Credits Close Aug 11, 2025
The California Competes Tax Credit (CCTC) is an income tax credit available to businesses that want to locate in California or stay and grow in California. Businesses of any industry, size, or location compete for over $180 million available in tax credits by applying in one of the three application periods each year. Applicants will be analyzed based on fourteen different factors of evaluation, including number of full-time jobs being created, amount of investment, and strategic importance to the state or region. Learn more about your eligibility here.
1st International Humanoid Olympiad
🚀 We’re thrilled to announce the 1st International Humanoid Olympiad (www.humanoidolympiad.org) that will take birth at the grounds of the International Olympic Academy in Olympia, Greece, from August 29 to September 2, 2025.
🤖 Why in Olympia and why now?
🇬🇷 Olympia, Greece is the birthplace of the Olympic Games, the place where the human body and spirit were first pushed beyond limits. Humanoids will stand on the same ground taking a significant step in their quest to become our peers.
🦾 2025 marks a pivotal moment in humanoid development. Physical AI is empowering an increasingly maturing robot hardware to accomplish feats that were though to be impossible. Robotic dexterity and intelligence are here to build a shared future, a society of humans and robots. Organized by Acumino and Endeavor Greece, the Humanoid Olympiad will feature:
🏅 Live participation of humanoids in Olympic inspired games
🎓 Inspiring talks by world experts in Humanoid Robots and Physical AI
🌍 Cutting-edge humanoid exhibitions from around the world
👩🔬 A thriving community of researchers, builders, dreamers, and pioneers
Get ready for the ultimate showdown of humanoid robots. Join us in Olympia as we reimagine what is possible with humanoid robots!
The IEEE International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering (CASE) is the flagship automation conference of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS) and constitutes the primary forum for cross-industry and multidisciplinary research in automation. Its goal is to provide broad coverage and dissemination of foundational research in automation among researchers and practitioners.
CASE 2025 will be held on August 17 – August 21, 2025, in Los Angeles, California, USA. The pre-conference workshops will be held on August 17, 2025. This is a great opportunity to showcase to the world’s leading automation, robotics and engineering community.
Sponsor and exhibitor information can be found here and you can also apply for the IEEE RAS IAB Startup Zone (discounted exhibit space and conference registration).
Silicon Valley Robotics Investor/Startup Database
Are you a startup fundraising atm? Fill out our "For Investors Eyes Only" sheet.
These investors write checks anywhere from angel and seed stage to $5-50 million.
Feedback from the startups - high quality inbound interest from investors.
Feedback from the investors - incredible depth and range of robotics startups.
If you’re an accredited investor and haven’t already signed up for the spreadsheet - Sign up here for great robotics deal flow!
Robotics News
Ex Tesla CFO Joins Board of Robotics Startup Mytra - The Information
Agility Robotics, Boston Dynamics see leadership changes - The Robot Report
OpenMind wants to be the Android operating system of humanoid robots - TechCrunch
A laundry-folding robot blew up the Internet. we talked to the guy who invented it - The SF Standard
Mission ICHIBAN: Robotics Cooperation Takes Flight on the ISS - ActuaAI
LimX Dynamics launches LimX Oli full-size humanoid robot - The Robot Report
Painting lines on soccer and football fields? That’s a job robots can do now - LATimes
Joby, L3Harris developing autonomous aircraft for defense missions - Defense News
Google says its new ‘world model’ could train AI robots in virtual warehouses - The Guardian
Aurora’s autonomoous trucks are now driving at night. Its next big challenge is rain. - Techcrunch
Lyft, China’s Baidu to launch robotaxi service in Europe next year - Reuters
Luma and Runway expect robotics to be a big revenue driver for them - TechCrunch
Why Europe could quietly win the humanoid race - The Next Web
Robotics Events
Bots & Beer at Circuit Launch Mountain View - Aug 6
Robot Board Game Night at Bear Robotics - Aug 22
Actuate - Sep 23-24 (use our code “RS-subscriber-10” for 10% discount)
SVR Robotics Investment Summit - Sep 25
ROSCON Singapore - Oct 27-30
SVR Robotics Leadership Summit - Dec 10
Humanoids Summit - Dec 11-12
Join the organizing team at Silicon Valley Robotics - bots&beer@svrobo.org
