Forge Robotics, a Carnegie Mellon University spinout founded by former Robotics Institute researchers, has raised $18 million in Series A funding led by Pittsburgh-based Draper Triangle Ventures. The funding round values the company at over $65 million and signals strong investor confidence in autonomous inspection technology and Pittsburgh's robotics ecosystem. The company plans to double its headcount from 22 to 40 employees and relocate to a new facility in Pittsburgh's Strip District.
The founding team—Dr. Priya Nair, Chief Executive Officer; Dr. James Okonkwo, Chief Technology Officer; and Dr. Alexandra Chen, Chief Operations Officer—met as doctoral researchers in Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute. Their research focused on autonomous systems that could navigate complex industrial environments and perform non-destructive testing and inspection. What began as academic inquiry became an obvious commercial opportunity: industrial facilities spend enormous sums on routine inspection of pipes, equipment, and infrastructure. Those inspections are dangerous for human workers, expensive, and time-consuming.
Forge Robotics' core technology is a family of autonomous robots designed to inspect industrial infrastructure. The company's flagship product, the InspectAI-800, navigates complex pipe networks and vessels, imaging interior surfaces with millimeter-level precision and using artificial intelligence to identify corrosion, cracks, and wear patterns. Compared to manual inspection, which requires human access to hazardous environments and often requires facility shutdowns, Forge's robots dramatically reduce risk while improving data quality.
"We're solving a real problem for real customers," said Dr. Nair. "Industrial inspections are critical for safety and regulatory compliance. But they're also dangerous, expensive, and surprisingly inaccurate when done manually. Our robots make the process safer, faster, and more reliable. We're proving that autonomous systems can compete with legacy inspection practices."
The funding round comes at an inflection point for Pittsburgh's robotics sector. The city boasts an extraordinary concentration of robotics talent, research institutions, and companies. Pittsburgh has more robotics companies per capita than any American city except Boston. Google employs hundreds of engineers at its Pittsburgh robotics center. Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute is one of the world's leading research centers. Yet historically, much of that talent has flowed to coastal tech hubs or been acquired by larger corporations. Forge Robotics represents a different model: homegrown talent staying in Pittsburgh, raising capital from Pittsburgh investors, and building enduring companies rooted in the city.
Draper Triangle Ventures, the lead investor, is Pittsburgh-based and focused on early-stage technology companies with strong technical foundations. "Forge Robotics has all the hallmarks of a category-defining company," said Thomas Draper, Partner at Draper Triangle. "Exceptional founding team, massive addressable market, clear unit economics, and a location advantage in Pittsburgh's robotics ecosystem. We backed this team not just because of the technology, but because of Pittsburgh's unique assets for robotics and AI innovation."
The Strip District location is deliberate. The company will be near other robotics firms, manufacturing facilities, and the emerging startup ecosystem centered around Liberty Works and other co-working spaces. This proximity—both to talent and to potential customers—is part of Pittsburgh's competitive advantage. The new facility will include engineering labs, manufacturing space for robot assembly, and office areas for the growing team.