Physical AI Is 10x Bigger Than Software: How 8 Robotics Founders Are Rebuilding Australia
Audio & video
A pipe-crawling robot that maps water, energy and mining networks in 3D. A gripper that can feel how hard to hold something, solving one of the biggest gaps in robotics today. A modular drone with payloads that click together like LEGO. And what Freesia Gaul calls a PS4 remote for your hand, letting you feel objects inside video games. This episode of Oversubscribed was recorded live at Build Australia HQ in Sydney, with founders who brought their hardware to the table.
Joining Brendan Hill are Samuel Gonzalez of Peregrine Dynamics, Freesia Gaul of On Zero, Patrick Bellamy of Kronus, Antoine Nguyen of Dreamscale Labs, Shyeon Delnawaz of Puralink Robotics, Heba Khamis of Contactile, Joe Harris of Alloy and Oleg Sushkov of Reimagine Robotics.
They get into why they chose to build something this hard, how they handle adversity, and what raising for hard tech looks like now that every VC has a physical AI thesis. Then the biggest question of the episode: how can Australia start building stuff again and establish our own ‘El Segundo’.
About the show
Oversubscribed is part of Day One, the podcast network dedicated to founders, operators and investors. Brendan Hill is a Venture Partner at TEN13 and an angel investor in Australia's fastest-growing startups.
The content is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as legal, business or investment advice or used to evaluate any investment or financial product. Brendan Hill is an investor in Alloy Robotics, Puralink, Peregrine Dynamics, Dreamscale Labs and Kronus.
Episode sponsors
Oversubscribed is proudly supported by Vanta and Mighty Partners.
Vanta is the all-in-one solution for startups to become compliant quickly and build a security foundation with ease. Startup customers get $1000 off Vanta at vanta.com/oversubscribed.
Mighty Partners is Australia’s leading venture debt provider for high-growth software companies. Venture debt gives founders access to growth capital while preserving equity, extending runway and creating greater flexibility between funding rounds. Trusted by companies including BuildPass, Deckard Technologies and Pearler, Mighty helps founders scale on their own terms. Learn more at Mighty Partners.
Links and resources
More from Oversubscribed with Brendan Hill
▶ Building with Atoms and Bits: 5 Founders Making Hard Tech in Australia | HEO, Alloy, Vexev, Zabidou, Antares
▶ Inside HEO: Australia’s Secret Space Camera Company | Hiranya Jayakody, Steve Baxter, Jessy Wu
▶ The $10M Bet That Will Change Healthcare Forever
▶ Cracking AI Growth & Retention: How Instant & Relume scaled from $0 to $10m
▶ Pain is a Moat: How Australia’s Top AI Founders Are Building Global Giants
▶ Inside the Minds Behind Australia’s Robotics Revolution
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