Full-Time
Research Scientist
Updated on 3/13/2025
Skild AI
11-50 employees
Compensation Overview
$100k - $300kAnnually
Senior, Expert
San Francisco, CA, USA + 1 more
More locations: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- PhD degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Engineering or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
- Proficiency in Python and at least one deep learning library such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX, etc.
- Deep technical knowledge, and research experience in deep learning, reinforcement learning, robotics, or computer vision
- Deep understanding of state-of-the-art machine learning techniques and models
- Experience working with robot systems
- Experience working with large-scale model training and systems
- Develop new algorithms and methods for training general-purpose robot foundation models
- Conduct cutting edge research across multiple disciplines (Perception, Robotics, RL / IL, Machine Learning, etc.)
- Work with large scale systems and large-scale model training
- Multiple years of experience in conducting research
- Publications at top-tier ML, robotics, or CV conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CoRL, RSS, ICRA, CVPR, ECCV, ICCV)
Company Size
11-50
Company Stage
Series A
Total Funding
$291.8M
Headquarters
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Founded
2023
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Skild AI achieved a $1.5 billion valuation with a $300 million Series A round.
- High-profile investors like Jeff Bezos and SoftBank back Skild AI.
- Pittsburgh's supportive ecosystem boosts Skild AI's growth in AI and robotics.
What critics are saying
- Increased competition from well-funded robotics companies like Swiss-Mile.
- Potential market saturation in the AI robotics sector.
- Technical and regulatory challenges in developing a 'general-purpose brain'.
What makes Skild AI unique
- Skild AI focuses on a modular 'general-purpose brain' for AI systems.
- The company aims to retrofit AI into various machines and robotics devices.
- Skild AI is a spinout from Carnegie Mellon, enhancing its academic credibility.
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Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 111%1 year growth
↑ 111%2 year growth
↑ 111%After months of outreach and careful consideration, our collection of this year’s most promising Pittsburgh startups is here.Technical.ly’s annual RealLIST Startups identifies the region’s young companies on track to continue their upward trajectories. We rank these companies 1 through 10 based on our analysis of their recent accomplishments, and also include a list of runners up. We’ve published this annual feature in various ecosystems stretching back nearly a decade, highlighting companies with impressive products, goals, founders and funders. 2025 marks the fourth year of our Pittsburgh roster; find the 2022, 2023 and 2024 editions here.Technical.ly compiled this year’s list by reviewing our reporting and asking the public for nominations. The final group includes startups pushing to change the game in several industries, including medical devices, marketing, manufacturing, recycling, agriculture and health insurance. To land on this list, the companies must be founded in 2022 or later, make most of their revenue from selling a product (no consultants) and not have undergone a significant exit, acquisition or IPO. The companies on this list have achieved significant milestones, including major fundraises, accelerator participation, notable investors and impactful missions.Pittsburgh, here are your 2025 RealLIST Startup honorees.Can't see the info above? View it in a new tab.Methodology: To build RealLIST Startups, Technical.ly’s editorial team assesses factors including societal impact, founder experience, capital raised and community involvement. We ask each startup candidate to complete a survey to help us understand and verify these factors, and we only include companies that have responded
From left to right: NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter, Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid, and Waymo’s latest autonomous vehicle. | Source: NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, and Waymo. With 2024 in the rearview mirror, we’re looking back at some of the biggest robotics trends of the year. While the year was full of exciting innovations and new technologies, we also saw the industry weather dips in funding and slower sales. Here are our five biggest trends for 2024:. Humanoids continue to dominate the news
Swiss-Mile, which makes robots for logistics and other use cases, is reportedly set to raise about $20 million from investors that include Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund, Bezos Expeditions and HongShan, which was formerly Sequoia Capital China. This seed funding round would value the company at over $100 million, Bloomberg reported Wednesday (Aug. 28), citing unnamed sources. Swiss-Mile did not immediately reply to PYMNTS’ request for comment
Pittsburgh's Skild AI achieved unicorn status with a $1.5 billion valuation after securing a $300 million Series A funding round. The round included participation from notable investors. Additionally, Duolingo acquired Hobbes for motion design, KEF Robotics received a $1 million grant from the Air Force, and other local startups made significant financial moves. Assemble continues to promote STEAM education, especially for marginalized groups. American Glass Research was linked to a Trump rally shooter incident.
The artificial intelligence company Skild AI has secured a substantial $300 million in Series A funding. This investment round was led by Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos and SoftBank Group SFTBY SFTBF, led by Masayoshi Son, among others, and is aimed at developing a “general-purpose brain” for AI systems.What Happened: Skild AI, a spinout from Carnegie Mellon, recently emerged from stealth mode to announce the successful completion of its Series A funding round, the company announced last week. The company is focused on creating an AI system that can be retrofitted into various machines and robotics devices.The funding, which was raised at a valuation of $1.5 billion, was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Coatue, SoftBank Group, and Bezos through Bezos Expeditions. It also saw participation from Felicis Ventures, Sequoia, Menlo Ventures, General Catalyst, CRV, Amazon, SV Angel, and Carnegie Mellon University.Skild AI is the latest entrant in the AI space with the ambitious goal of developing an “artificial general intelligence.” Skild AI’s long-term objective is to create a modular artificial “brain” that can be retrofitted for use in any compatible housing. The company’s roadmap and partnerships were not disclosed in the Series A funding announcement.See Also: Microsoft’s $1.5B Investment Under Scrutiny, Alibaba Showcases AI Breakthroughs In Shanghai And More: This Week In Artificial IntelligenceWhy It Matters: Bezos’s involvement in Skild AI comes after he sold $5 billion in Amazon shares earlier this year