Feather Robotics
Category: Robotics / Embodied AI
Feather Robotics builds a $29,990 modular wheeled humanoid developer platform ('Android of robotics') that lets third-party physical-AI companies deploy their own AI models on affordable, customizable hardware. Feather Robotics was founded in 2025. The company is led by Hoa Mai. Based in California, United States. Team size: 11-50. Total funding raised: $7.6M. Latest round: Pre-Seed. Key investors include Gradient Ventures (lead), Builder Capital, Geometry, SEED Innovations, Virgo VC.
- Founded
- 2025
- Headquarters
- California, United States
- Team size
- 11-50
- Total funding
- $7.6M
Value proposition
Provides an affordable, reliable, modular humanoid hardware platform with SDK so developers and startups can build physical-AI/labor applications without building their own robot hardware stack from scratch.
Products and solutions
Modular wheeled humanoid robot platform ($29,990) with adjustable hardware (e.g., arm length) and an SDK, robot can run third-party robotics AI models including those from Nvidia, Skild, and Physical Intelligence.
Unique value
Only U.S. startup (per Gradient Ventures) offering a modular, developer-first humanoid platform at roughly half the price of comparable Chinese competitors (e.g., Unitree H2 Edu), positioned as neutral hardware infrastructure rather than a closed vertically-integrated robot+AI stack.
Target customer
Physical AI application developers, robotics startups, and businesses automating manual labor (e.g., restaurant kitchens, lab cleaning) who need affordable hardware to deploy AI models on.
Industries served
Robotics, Physical AI, Labor Automation, Restaurant/Foodservice, Lab Automation
Technology advantage
Hardware-agnostic approach to the AI 'brain' — runs models from any leading robotics AI provider (Nvidia, Skild, Physical Intelligence) rather than building a proprietary foundation model; modular design allows customization (e.g., arm length) for different labor use cases; low price point drives large addressable market vs. labor cost.
How they differentiate
Unlike Tesla/Figure who build both hardware and a proprietary foundational AI 'brain,' Feather focuses purely on being the deployable hardware+SDK platform, letting any developer bring their own AI model — positioned by lead investor Gradient as the only U.S. company pursuing a modular humanoid platform strategy.
Main competitors
Unitree (Chinese modular humanoid maker, H2 Edu), Figure and Tesla (vertically-integrated general-purpose humanoid makers), Sunday (domestic household robotics)
Key partnerships
Robot compatible with AI models from Nvidia, Skild, and Physical Intelligence (software/model ecosystem partners, not confirmed formal partnerships).
Notable customers
Undisclosed by name, reported use cases include robots working as cooks in restaurants and cleaning science labs.
Major milestones
2025: Founded by Hoa Mai and Parsa Bakhtiari, backed at inception by Gradient Ventures. 2026: Completed year of field testing, surpassed $1M in revenue, publicly announced $7.6M pre-seed round and launched $29,990 developer humanoid platform (Sept 2026).
Growth metrics
Surpassed $1 million in revenue from early sales of its humanoid platform prior to broader public launch; has spent only a fraction of its pre-seed funding per lead investor Gradient Ventures.
Market positioning
Early-stage but revenue-generating ($1M+ in sales) developer-first humanoid hardware platform, positioned as a homegrown/domestic alternative to Chinese modular robotics makers like Unitree amid import restrictions.
Geographic focus
United States, with implicit competitive contrast to Chinese robotics makers (Unitree) due to import restrictions creating a market opening.
About Hoa Mai
Ex-Google, Ex-Apple; Co-founder of Kind Humanoid (acquired by 1X in January 2025), where he built the system architecture and AI stack. Serial entrepreneur building humanoids since 2018.
Latest news about Feather Robotics
More Robotics / Embodied AI companies
Official website: https://feather.dev