Ex-Nvidia Investor: Physical AI Is in Its “LEGO Era”

Amulya Vishwanath, founder and managing partner of the venture capital firm Techable Ventures, said on TechCrunch's Equity podcast that physical AI, the field covering robotics, is currently in a “LEGO era.” Her firm focuses on physical AI investments, and she launched it after nearly seven years in product marketing at chipmaker Nvidia.

Waiting for the “ChatGPT moment”

Vishwanath noted that many companies and experts talk about a “ChatGPT moment” for robotics, but the industry is still laying foundations. In her words, many foundational software pieces and building blocks for robotics are being rethought right now, which is important for innovation to scale.

Today, developers are building basic components such as robotic hands and actuators, which could one day combine into larger products, much like LEGO bricks. Both general-purpose and special-purpose robots are being built, and they are expected to improve over time.

She said the industry went through a similar process in the internet era and, long ago, during the Industrial Revolution. In her view, it is only a matter of time before things fall into place.

Talent and the firm's edge

Vishwanath stressed that talent remains a key factor in the U.S. market. She described it as one of her firm's “moats”: it helps founders reach top talent and stay competitive while a large share of talent goes to big companies such as Anthropic and Nvidia.

She said she has built a strong network over years of working in the field, which lets her be the first call for founders.

Before Nvidia, Vishwanath held the same product marketing role at a company later acquired by Intel, and she worked as a digital signal processing engineer at Interconnect Systems, which was later bought by electronics maker Molex.