vla
(3)
Instance
Instance is a San Francisco startup building the autonomous evaluation rig for robot learning. Its first product is a success detector that watches a robot's rollout video, reads the task description, and returns a verdict on whether the task was completed - with a subtask-by-subtask breakdown. Founded in 2026 by MIT classmates and childhood friends Claire Mao and Lucy Cai, Instance is part of Y Combinator's Summer 2026 batch and aims to remove humans from the tedious loop of watching robots, grading them, and resetting the scene.
Foundry Robotics
Foundry Robotics is a San Francisco startup building 'The Everything Factory' - an AI-first, assembly-focused contract manufacturer that uses Vision-Language-Action (VLA) foundation models to run flexible robotic assembly cells. Instead of retooling a line for every new product, Foundry aims to let general-purpose robots switch between building drones, robot dogs, battery packs and satellite components on demand. Founded in 2025 by ex-Ghost Robotics and Scale AI robotics lead Adarsh Kulkarni, the company positions itself as a dual-use manufacturer serving both commercial customers and the U.S. Department of Defense, backed by a seed round led by Khosla Ventures and Garuda Ventures.
Figure
Figure is a Bay Area robotics company building autonomous, general-purpose humanoid robots powered by Helix, its in-house vision-language-action model. Founded by Brett Adcock in 2022, Figure is one of a small handful of companies racing to put commercially viable humanoids inside factories, warehouses and - by late 2026 - homes.