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Robotics is having an AI boom, but don’t expect it to have a ChatGPT moment.
In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Xavier Chi, co-founder of Mbodi, a startup building AI software that lets people teach industrial robots new skills using natural language.
Xavier first joined Isabelle on the Startup Battlefield stage, where Mbodi became a crowd favorite with a live robot demo. Now, he’s back to talk about what happened after Battlefield and why he believes this generation of AI could finally help robotics companies overcome some of the problems that have historically made them so difficult to scale.
Xavier breaks down why traditional industrial automation still requires so much programming and customization, how Mbodi is working with ABB Robotics to bring its software into factories and warehouses, and why deploying robotics in the physical world creates a very different set of challenges from building traditional software. He also explains why robotics startups have struggled to build scalable software businesses and how generative AI could begin to change that.
They also get into what VCs are looking for in robotics startups, how founders can de-risk an investment before fundraising, whether the excitement around humanoid robots is justified, and why Xavier believes robotics won’t experience a single ChatGPT-like breakthrough. Plus, he explains why reliability is so critical on the factory floor — and how Mbodi recently achieved a 99.6% success rate during an eight-hour test.
They get into:
Why industrial automation is still surprisingly manual
How Mbodi lets people teach robots using natural language
Why labor shortages are driving demand for automation
How winning an ABB Robotics competition led to a major partnership
What Mbodi gained from Startup Battlefield
Why robotics software companies have historically struggled to scale
How generative AI could reduce the need for custom robotics integrations
What VCs want to see before investing in a robotics startup
Why robots don’t necessarily need to look human
Why software could capture more of the value in robotics as hardware gets cheaper
Why robotics won’t have a ChatGPT moment
Why reliability is so important when robots enter production
How Mbodi achieved a 99.6% success rate in an eight-hour test
Chapters:
00:00 — Mbodi’s unforgettable Startup Battlefield demo01:32 — Why industrial automation is still so difficult03:55 — What companies are actually using robots for06:33 — How Mbodi landed its partnership with ABB Robotics08:30 — Are startup competitions worth a founder’s time?10:00 — Why Xavier wanted to compete in Startup Battlefield11:18 — The hardest question Mbodi faced at Battlefield13:04 — Why robotics software has struggled to scale16:35 — Raising venture capital for a robotics startup18:02 — Convincing VCs you’re the right team19:12 — Do robots really need to look human?21:42 — What needs to improve across the robotics stack25:08 — What VCs want from robotics startups28:00 — How to de-risk a robotics investment30:06 — What’s next for Mbodi31:30 — When will robots enter our homes?35:35 — Why robots can’t afford to fail36:01 — Mbodi’s 99.6% reliability test
Subscribe to Build Mode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen. And watch the full videos on YouTube. New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday.
Hosted by Isabelle Johannesen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.
