C
Covariant
Graduated neolabAI foundation models for warehouse robotics (Covariant Brain): picking, sortation, induction
Raised, confirmed$75M3 confirmed rounds
Valuation, confirmed—none disclosed
Valuation, reported—no open report
Founded2017Emeryville, CA, US
Key facts
| Field | Value | Source · checked |
|---|---|---|
| Classification | Graduated neolabRobotics foundation-model developer whose three co-founders and about a quarter of staff joined Amazon in Aug 2024 under a non-exclusive licensing deal; $222M raised through a $75M Series C extension (Apr 2023) | |
| Field | Robotics and physical AI | |
| Founded | 2017 | geekwire.com Emeryville, Calif.-based Covariant, founded in 2017, focuses on AI-powered robotics systemschecked 15 Nov 2026 |
| Headquarters | Emeryville, CA, US | geekwire.com Emeryville, Calif.-based Covariant, founded in 2017, focuses on AI-powered robotics systemschecked 15 Nov 2026 |
| Founders | Pieter Abbeel, Peter Chen, Rocky Duan, Tianhao Zhang | |
| Website | covariant.ai | |
| Profiles and work | X @CovariantAILinkedIn | How links are checkedchecked 15 Nov 2026 |
Funding rounds
Covariant has raised $75M in rounds confirmed by the company, a regulator or two independent outlets. Rounds marked Reported or Abandoned are not included in that total. Status rules: methodology.
| Date | Round | Amount | Valuation | Investors | Status | Source · checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Apr 2023 | Series C | $75M | — | Lead: Radical Ventures, Index Ventures; Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Amplify Partners, Gates Frontier Holdings, AIX Ventures, Northgate Capital | Confirmed | Index Ventures Covariant, the world's leading AI Robotics company, has raised $75m in additional Series C funding+2 more sourceschecked 15 Nov 2026 |
| 3 Nov 2022 | Form D offering | $23.4M | — | not disclosed | Confirmed | SEC EDGAR Form D: total offering 23385666.0, total sold 23385666.0, first sale 2022-11-03checked 15 Nov 2026 |
| 11 Jun 2021 | Form D offering | $9.5M | — | not disclosed | Confirmed | SEC EDGAR Form D: total offering 9499962.0, total sold 9499962.0, first sale 2021-06-11checked 15 Nov 2026 |
| 2021 | Series C | $80M | — | not disclosed | Reported | The Robot Report The company announced the first part of its series C round, totaling $80 million, in 2021.checked 15 Nov 2026 |
Notes on these rounds
- 4 Apr 2023 Series C: Additional Series C funding bringing total raised to $222 million. GeekWire reported the round valued the company at $625 million ('reportedly'); no other source, so no valuation is recorded.
- 3 Nov 2022 Form D offering: SEC Form D reports securities sold under the exemption, not the announced round size.
- 11 Jun 2021 Form D offering: SEC Form D reports securities sold under the exemption, not the announced round size.
- 2021 Series C: First part of the Series C; investors not recorded.
People
| Name | Role | Before | Now | Source · checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pieter AbbeelLinkedInScholarSite | Co-founder | UC Berkeley (Director, Berkeley Robot Learning Lab), OpenAI (Researcher) | Left Aug 2024 | |
| Peter ChenXLinkedIn | Co-founder & CEO | OpenAI (Researcher) | Left Aug 2024 | geekwire.com Covariant CEO Peter Chen is one of three co-founders who will be joining Amazon.checked 15 Nov 2026 |
| Rocky DuanXLinkedInScholarSite | Co-founder | OpenAI (Researcher) | Left Aug 2024 | |
| Tianhao ZhangXLinkedInScholarSite | Co-founder | — | Current | geekwire.com Another Covariant co-founder, Tianhao Zhang, will lead the company along with Stinson, according to a Covariant blog post.checked 15 Nov 2026 |
| Ted StinsonXLinkedIn | CEO | — | Current | geekwire.com Covariant’s current COO, Ted Stinson, will become CEO of the company.checked 15 Nov 2026 |
Professional facts from public sources only. How people records are handled.
What it has shipped
| Name | Kind | Date | Open weights | Source · checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covariant Brain | product | No | therobotreport.com Covariant has focused on developing the Covariant Brain, which the company called a Universal AI platform.checked 15 Nov 2026 |
Work at Covariant, or see something wrong? Update this profile with a public source. How corrections work.