Robot company raises $30 million... plans to expand automation of US defense factories

Nidus, a U.S. robotics company, has raised $30 million to expand its business of applying proprietary AI models to existing industrial robots for precision assembly work. The round was led by Kleiner Perkins and Costanoa, with participation from Ludlow Ventures, SF1, Absolute Partners, and Tau, alongside angel investors including Hadrian founder Chris Power and Adrian Aoun. The company plans to use the funding to scale deployment of its robot foundation models and extend automation into U.S. defense manufacturing facilities. The raise signals continued investor appetite for AI-driven industrial automation as companies seek to retrofit existing robot fleets rather than replace them. What to watch next is how quickly Nidus converts the capital into defense-factory deployments and whether it discloses customer contracts or revenue milestones.