--- title: "Actuator investors" description: "Which of 29 top venture funds have backed actuator makers or robot hardware, and which are still on the sidelines." canonical: https://actuatorlist.com/investors last-updated: 2026-11-01T14:05:43.000Z --- # Which top funds are still on the sidelines of actuation? 29 large venture funds, checked for any round in hardware that moves: actuator makers, robot makers that build their own actuators, or other robot hardware. Built from public funding announcements as of October 2026. **7 of 29 have no actuated bet on record.** ## Funds by strongest bet - **No actuated bet (7):** Thrive, USV, Ribbit, Index, Greylock, 8VC, IVP - **Actuator maker (5):** a16z, Founders Fund, Lux, Menlo, NEA - **Robot maker, own actuators (10):** Lightspeed, Sequoia, Bessemer, First Round, Battery, Kleiner Perkins, Accel, Redpoint, Bain Capital Ventures, Greenoaks - **Robot hardware only (7):** General Catalyst, Benchmark, Coatue, Spark, CRV, Khosla, Norwest ## Rounds | Fund | Company | Type | Round | Role | Source | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | a16z | Westmag | Actuator maker | Seed $11M, 2025 | Led | [businesswire.com](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602552448/en/Westmag-Emerges-With-$11-Million-Seed-Led-By-Andreessen-Horowitz-to-Build-Americas-Drone-Motor-and-Robot-Actuator-Industry) | | a16z | Salient Motion | Actuator maker | Seed ~$4M, 2024 | Joined | [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/01/palmer-luckey-tried-to-crush-aeronautics-startup-salient-motion-but-anduril-backer-a16z-invested) | | a16z | Mind Robotics | Robot maker, own actuators | Series A $500M (co-lead), 2026 | Led | [businesswire.com](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260311414783/en/Mind-Robotics-Announces-%24500M-Financing-to-Support-Deployment-of-AI-Powered-Robots-at-Industrial-Scale) | | a16z | Mind Robotics | Robot maker, own actuators | $400M round (returning), 2026 | Joined | [roboticstomorrow.com](https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/news/2026/05/14/mind-robotics-announces-400m-in-new-funding-to-expand-industrial-robotics-deployment/26568/) | | Founders Fund | Westmag | Actuator maker | Seed $11M, 2025 | Joined | [businesswire.com](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602552448/en/Westmag-Emerges-With-$11-Million-Seed-Led-By-Andreessen-Horowitz-to-Build-Americas-Drone-Motor-and-Robot-Actuator-Industry) | | Lux | Westmag | Actuator maker | Seed $11M, 2025 | Joined | [businesswire.com](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602552448/en/Westmag-Emerges-With-$11-Million-Seed-Led-By-Andreessen-Horowitz-to-Build-Americas-Drone-Motor-and-Robot-Actuator-Industry) | | Lux | Collaborative Robotics | Robot hardware only | Series B $100M, 2024 | Joined | [prnewswire.com](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/collaborative-robotics-raises-100-million-in-series-b-funding-302112670.html) | | Menlo | Westmag | Actuator maker | Seed $11M, 2025 | Joined | [businesswire.com](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602552448/en/Westmag-Emerges-With-$11-Million-Seed-Led-By-Andreessen-Horowitz-to-Build-Americas-Drone-Motor-and-Robot-Actuator-Industry) | | NEA | ClearMotion | Actuator maker | Series C $100M, 2017 | Joined | [globalventuring.com](https://globalventuring.com/clearmotion-moves-into-the-light-with-100m) | | Lightspeed | RobCo | Robot maker, own actuators | Series B $42.5M, 2024 | Led | [therobotreport.com](https://www.therobotreport.com/robco-raises-100m-scale-industrial-automation/) | | Lightspeed | RobCo | Robot maker, own actuators | Series C $100M (co-lead), 2026 | Led | [therobotreport.com](https://www.therobotreport.com/robco-raises-100m-scale-industrial-automation/) | | Sequoia | RobCo | Robot maker, own actuators | Series C $100M, 2026 | Joined | [therobotreport.com](https://www.therobotreport.com/robco-raises-100m-scale-industrial-automation/) | | Sequoia | Collaborative Robotics | Robot hardware only | Earlier rounds | Joined | [prnewswire.com](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/collaborative-robotics-raises-100-million-in-series-b-funding-302112670.html) | | Bessemer | ANYbotics | Robot maker, own actuators | Series B $50M, 2023 | Joined | [anybotics.com](https://www.anybotics.com/news/anybotics-secures-50m-series-b-funding/) | | First Round | Proception | Robot maker, own actuators | Seed $11M, 2026 | Led | [gunder.com](https://www.gunder.com/en/news-insights/client-news/proception-raises-dollar11-million-seed-financing) | | First Round | Dyna Robotics | Robot hardware only | Series A $120M (co-lead), 2026 | Led | [medium.com](https://medium.com/crv-insights/power-to-the-bot-crv-partners-with-dyna-robotics-to-commercialize-embodied-ai-with-low-cost-af67bebf0318) | | Battery | Robotiq | Robot maker, own actuators | Growth $31M, 2018 | Led | [automate.org](https://www.automate.org/news/robotiq-raises-31-million-in-funding-from-battery-ventures) | | Kleiner Perkins | Mind Robotics | Robot maker, own actuators | $400M round, 2026 | Led | [roboticstomorrow.com](https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/news/2026/05/14/mind-robotics-announces-400m-in-new-funding-to-expand-industrial-robotics-deployment/26568/) | | Accel | Mind Robotics | Robot maker, own actuators | Series A $500M (co-lead), 2026 | Led | [businesswire.com](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260311414783/en/Mind-Robotics-Announces-%24500M-Financing-to-Support-Deployment-of-AI-Powered-Robots-at-Industrial-Scale) | | Accel | Mind Robotics | Robot maker, own actuators | $400M round (returning), 2026 | Joined | [roboticstomorrow.com](https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/news/2026/05/14/mind-robotics-announces-400m-in-new-funding-to-expand-industrial-robotics-deployment/26568/) | | Redpoint | Mind Robotics | Robot maker, own actuators | $400M round, 2026 | Joined | [roboticstomorrow.com](https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/news/2026/05/14/mind-robotics-announces-400m-in-new-funding-to-expand-industrial-robotics-deployment/26568/) | | Bain Capital Ventures | Mind Robotics | Robot maker, own actuators | $400M round (returning), 2026 | Joined | [roboticstomorrow.com](https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/news/2026/05/14/mind-robotics-announces-400m-in-new-funding-to-expand-industrial-robotics-deployment/26568/) | | Bain Capital Ventures | Sunday Robotics | Robot hardware only | Series B $165M, 2026 | Joined | [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/12/humanoid-robotics-maker-sunday-reaches-1-15b-valuation-to-build-household-robots/) | | General Catalyst | Minerva Humanoids | Robot hardware only | Pre-seed $10M, 2026 | Led | [globenewswire.com](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/10/06/3375277/0/en/minerva-humanoids-emerges-from-stealth-with-10m-pre-seed-round-led-by-general-catalyst-to-build-humanoid-robots-for-the-world-s-most-dangerous-jobs.html) | | General Catalyst | Collaborative Robotics | Robot hardware only | Series B $100M, 2024 | Led | [prnewswire.com](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/collaborative-robotics-raises-100-million-in-series-b-funding-302112670.html) | | General Catalyst | Standard Bots | Robot hardware only | Earlier rounds | Joined | [valueaddvc.com](https://valueaddvc.com/pulse/sectors/robotics-and-mobility) | | Benchmark | Sunday Robotics | Robot hardware only | Series B $165M, 2026 | Joined | [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/12/humanoid-robotics-maker-sunday-reaches-1-15b-valuation-to-build-household-robots/) | | Coatue | Sunday Robotics | Robot hardware only | Series B $165M, 2026 | Led | [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/12/humanoid-robotics-maker-sunday-reaches-1-15b-valuation-to-build-household-robots/) | | Greenoaks | The Bot Company | Robot hardware only | $150M round, 2025 | Led | [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/23/former-cruise-ceo-kyle-vogts-new-robotics-startup-reportedly-raises-another-150m/) | | Greenoaks | Mind Robotics | Robot maker, own actuators | $400M round (returning), 2026 | Joined | [roboticstomorrow.com](https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/news/2026/05/14/mind-robotics-announces-400m-in-new-funding-to-expand-industrial-robotics-deployment/26568/) | | Spark | The Bot Company | Robot hardware only | $150M first round, 2024 | Joined | [forbes.com.au](https://www.forbes.com.au/news/entrepreneurs/cruise-cofounder-raised-150m-for-household-robot-startup/) | | CRV | THEKER | Robot hardware only | Series A ~$85M, 2026 | Led | [cathaycapital.com](https://www.cathaycapital.com/theker-raises-85m-in-europes-largest-ever-robotics-series-a-led-by-crv-with-backing-from-samsung-and-lvmh/) | | CRV | Dyna Robotics | Robot hardware only | Seed and Series A (co-lead), 2025 | Led | [medium.com](https://medium.com/crv-insights/power-to-the-bot-crv-partners-with-dyna-robotics-to-commercialize-embodied-ai-with-low-cost-af67bebf0318) | | Khosla | Genesis AI | Robot hardware only | Seed $105M (co-lead), 2025 | Led | [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/06/khosla-backed-robotics-startup-genesis-ai-has-gone-full-stack-demo-shows/) | | Khosla | Rhoda AI | Robot hardware only | Series A $450M, 2026 | Joined | [theaiinsider.tech](https://theaiinsider.tech/2026/03/10/rhoda-ai-exits-stealth-with-450-million-series-a-to-scale-platform-for-real-world-robitics-intelligence/) | | Norwest | Third Wave Automation | Robot hardware only | Series B $40M, 2021 | Led | Press reports | | Norwest | ICON | Robot hardware only | Series B $207M, 2021 | Led | Press reports | ## Method A fund with no rounds listed means public announcements and press did not name it in an actuator or robot hardware round. Paid databases (PitchBook, Crunchbase) were not checked, so small or undisclosed checks can be missing. "Robot hardware only" covers robot makers where nothing public says they build their own actuators. Mind Robotics counts as building its own actuators on the strength of its job postings for engineers who design and productionize them. HongShan (formerly Sequoia China) led a round in joint-actuator maker RobStride but has been a separate firm from Sequoia since 2023, so it is not counted.