I was laying on the couch, eyemask on, earplugs in, trying to imagine the next great startup. “What about collecting data from factories to train robots?” Well, I found it…

It’s called Cortex AI. 

Cortex AI: Training Industrial Robots

Cortex AI gathers video from factories and workshops. It sells that data to robotics companies to help train robots. 

To teach robots to work in factories, we’re going to need tons of video. But there isn’t much video available from real facilities.

Robotics companies are forced to use data from labs and simulations. That data isn’t realistic.

Several startups collect video from inside people’s homes to feed to AI models. Cortex’s approach is different — they are focused on industrial data. 

Getting Real World Data 

Cortex AI is building the marketplace for industrial robotics data. 

Factories and workshops make money by providing video. In businesses with tight margins, this additional revenue stream is huge! 

Robotics companies love this data because it’s from the real world. This lets their robots learn faster.

The Perfect Founder

The founder, Lucas Ngoo, has one of the most impressive backgrounds of anyone I’ve invested in.

Lucas was the co-founder and CTO of Carousell, a marketplace for used goods in Southeast Asia. Carousell was backed by Sequoia India and is valued at $1.1 billion. 

Lucas’s background is perfect because he’s already built a super successful marketplace. 

Carousell is in a very different market — used goods vs. AI data. But a marketplace is a marketplace, and Lucas has seen this movie before. 

What About Jobs?

Robots will replace some humans in factories. This is inevitable.

Imagine if we had refused to adopt tractors because they would replace farm workers. Almost everyone would still be doing backbreaking labor on farms for very little money.

Technological progress has some cost in the short run. But in the long run, we are way better off. 

Wrap-Up

I’m delighted to have a little slice of Cortex AI’s recent seed round!

It’s rare that I see a fantastic founder building in just the right market. When I do, I’m itching to place a bet. 

This investment showed me the value of daydreaming. 

I learned this technique from studying Cyan Banister and James Simons, two top investors. They’re both known for spending hours just thinking.

I spent hours imagining big opportunities. When I saw Cortex AI, I knew I’d found what I was looking for. 

If I hadn’t prepared my mind by daydreaming, I might have missed it! 

If you work in robotics, check out Cortex AI’s data and take your system to the next level. And if you run a factory, look into selling your data! 

This is the last post of the year. I’ll see you guys on Monday, January 5th.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 🎄🥳

More on tech:

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