Former Nvidia employees and researchers are building robotics and physical-AI companies in distinct fields, from simulated robot-training worlds to workplace robotics. A report published September 29, 2026, described ventures including Veeda AI, Dream Labs, Flexion Robotics and Index Robotics, as well as Nvidia’s reported investment in Flexion and Dyna Robotics.
Former Nvidia staff are building robotics startups
Physical AI means artificial intelligence built into machines that interact with the physical world. The startups linked to former Nvidia personnel pursue different work; they are not all described as makers of the same kind of robot.
Sanja Fidler, Nvidia’s former vice president of AI research, left the company in July 2026 and founded Veeda AI with other former Nvidia employees. Former Nvidia researcher Joel Jang founded Dream Labs. Siddhant Haldar, a former Nvidia robotics intern, founded Index Robotics.
From simulated training to robots at work
Veeda AI builds simulated worlds where robots can be trained. Across the broader physical-AI field, companies are also working on warehouse deployment software and robots that perform business tasks.
Dream Labs and Index Robotics are identified as robotics startups, while Flexion Robotics is led by former Nvidia employees Nikita Rudin and David Hoeller. The distinct examples point to a range of ways to bring AI into robotics, from training environments to deployment.
Why some founders left Nvidia
Flexion Robotics cofounders Rudin and Hoeller said they left Nvidia because they believed robotics had reached a point where it was ready for deployment. Hoeller said they were not convinced that staying at Nvidia was the fastest way to deliver it.
Haldar has pointed to a shortage of real-world training data as a longstanding obstacle for robotics. He also cited stronger AI models and venture funding as factors that made the timing attractive for founders. His explanation differs from Flexion’s focus on getting robotics technology into deployment.
Nvidia’s relationship with Flexion Robotics
Nvidia reportedly invested in Flexion Robotics and Dyna Robotics. Flexion CEO and cofounder Nikita Rudin says Nvidia meets with Flexion every two weeks and gives the startup early tools for testing.
The potential upside for Nvidia
A larger field of robotics startups could create more demand for the chips and software infrastructure Nvidia sells. That gives Nvidia a potential commercial benefit as companies build physical-AI systems.
