XDOF in talks for Series B funding at $1.2B valuation three months after stealth exit

Series B Funding Discussions

XDOF, a startup focused on collecting real-world teleoperation data for general-purpose robot training, is in late-stage talks for a Series B funding round. The proposed valuation for this round is approximately $1.2 billion, with 8VC leading the discussions. This development occurs less than three months after XDOF officially exited stealth mode.

Rapid Growth and Previous Funding

Co-founded by UC Berkeley researchers Philipp Wu and Fred Shentu in 2024, XDOF previously secured a $70 million Series A round in June, with participation from Thrive Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Lux, and Spark Capital. The company's annualized revenue is reportedly approaching $50 million, which has attracted venture capitalists to initiate a new funding round sooner than initially planned.

Addressing Robotics Data Challenges

XDOF aims to provide data pipelines, collection tools, and annotation systems for AI labs and robotics companies, functioning as an outsourced data supply chain. The company's foundation stems from Wu's PhD research on robot learning from large datasets, addressing the lack of extensive real-world data for physical robots, unlike the vast datasets available for large language models.

Data Collection Methodology

The startup utilizes GELLO, a low-cost teleoperation system, allowing human operators to remotely control robotic arms to generate training data. XDOF is also collaborating with UC Berkeley’s AI Research lab to release ABC, described as a large collection of high-quality robot training data. This data is captured through a combination of remote robot teleoperation and human collectors wearing sensors to record everyday tasks.