Robotics Startup Origin Secures $20 Million to Develop Autonomous Construction Machines

Robotics and physical AI startup Origin has officially emerged from stealth mode, announcing a fresh funding injection of $20 million (roughly ₹189 crore). The capital will be utilized to expand its fleet of autonomous construction robots and scale operations globally. The investment round was co-led by prominent venture capital firms Accel and Zacua Ventures, with participation from Unilazer Ventures, Schema Ventures, Z21, and notable angel investors from cutting-edge tech companies like Tesla, Anduril, Skild AI, and 1X. ### Tackling Labor Shortages in Interior Construction Founded in early 2025 by Yogesh Ghaturle, Ashish Daga, and Tushar Makkar, Origin spent 18 months operating quietly in stealth mode to rigorously test its technology on live job sites. CEO Yogesh Ghaturle previously founded retail-tech startup Perpule, which was acquired by Amazon in 2021. The startup focuses on bringing advanced automation to interior building trades, a sector heavily reliant on manual labor and prone to project delays. Its flagship machine, the OG-1 robot, is designed to autonomously handle labor-intensive drywall finishing processes—including applying compound, sanding, and priming surfaces. According to the company, the robot operates at up to three times the speed of human workers while maintaining professional quality standards. ### Powered by Physical AI At the core of Origin's machinery is its proprietary Construction Action Model, a specialized foundation model built specifically for unpredictable construction environments. This system integrates task planning, autonomous navigation, and real-time feedback control, allowing the robots to adapt seamlessly to changing site conditions without requiring fenced-off restricted zones. Operating on a flexible subscription or rental model, Origin’s machines are already being utilized across commercial buildings, multifamily residential projects, data centers, hotels, and warehouses in markets like the United States. ### Future Roadmap and Deployment Targets With the newly secured capital, Origin plans to expand its operational footprint and run extensive customer pilots across the US, Europe, and the Middle East—with targeted regions including Germany, Sweden, France, and Saudi Arabia. The company has set an ambitious target to scale its active deployment fleet to 150 autonomous robots by the end of 2027, while gradually expanding the OG-1 platform to handle additional interior tasks such as taping, drywall installation, drilling, and conduit wiring.