Foundation.bot
2023
ROLE
Robotics, AI, Autonomy
Industrial and defense sectors face high worker attrition, complex environments, and scale demands where traditional automation fails. Existing robots rely heavily on specialized environments, limiting flexibility and speed of deployment. Sankaet believes that to truly automate labor, robots must integrate seamlessly into human-designed spaces—without retooling factories around them
Full-stack humanoid robotics: Phantom MK1 blends proprietary actuators, minimal sensors (camera-only perception), and hybrid AI to build robust, adaptable systems.
Speed-first engineering: By focusing on execution velocity and capital efficiency—raising ~$11M seed and targeting under $100M total—Foundation prioritizes product- and data-driven scaling over bloated fundraising.
Data flywheel: Phantom is fielded in defense, logistics, and manufacturing, gathering real-world data enabling continuous model improvement—mirroring Tesla’s approach to self-driving.
Foundation is positioned to deliver industrial-grade humanoid robots within 12 months, aiming to automate hard jobs in manufacturing, logistics, and defense environments. With rapid software iteration, a talented team, and a clear industrial-first roadmap, Sankaet’s company intends to deploy 40–50 robots in 2025—and lay the infrastructure for a fleet of thousands by 2026.
