Construction tech startup Cosmic Robotics has secured $4 million in seed funding to develop AI-powered robots aimed at accelerating utility-scale solar infrastructure projects. The round was led by Giant Ventures with participation from MaC Venture Capital, HCVC, and prominent angel investors including Azeem Azhar, Aarthi Ramamurthy, and Nate Williams.
Founded in 2024 by James Emerick and Lewis Jones, Cosmic Robotics is building mobile manipulation robots (MMRs) to automate the slowest, most labor-intensive aspects of clean energy infrastructure. Emerick, formerly with Built Robotics and Autodesk Research, said the team’s goal is to “build the next generation of construction tools” that boost productivity on job sites. Jones brings aerospace expertise from his time launching 3D-printed rockets at Relativity Space.
Cosmic’s flagship system, Cosmic-1A, is a cobot designed to assist solar installation crews by handling physically demanding tasks with greater speed and precision. The company claims this approach can reduce labor costs by up to 50% and double throughput on-site.
Central to its platform is Particle, a jobsite-specific AI engine that adapts to real-world conditions, automating quality control and tracking to maintain momentum in unpredictable environments. Emerick said Cosmic’s strategy is to “deploy effective tools today” while scaling toward full autonomy.
Backed by support from the U.S. Department of Energy and the JLL Foundation, Cosmic is now preparing to deploy its systems on major U.S. energy projects, positioning itself at the forefront of AI-driven infrastructure transformation.
