Japanese technology giant NEC’s corporate venture capital fund has invested in US-based robotics startup Dexmate, developer of the VEGA humanoid robot and an integrated physical AI development platform.
The investment was made through the NEC Orchestrating Future Fund (NOFF), with NEC and Dexmate planning to explore opportunities to deploy physical AI technologies across a range of industries.
Founded in 2024 by AI robotics researchers, Dexmate is developing VEGA alongside a software platform designed to simplify the development, configuration and operation of AI-powered robots.
The company says its integrated approach addresses some of the challenges involved in deploying physical AI systems, which can require the coordination of sensors, control systems, training data, simulation environments and site-specific tuning.
By bringing these elements together, Dexmate aims to streamline the process from developing robots for particular applications through to deploying them in real-world environments.
Tao Chen, co-founder and CEO of Dexmate, says: “We are honored to welcome the investment from the NEC Orchestrating Future Fund and deeply appreciate their confidence in our Physical AI technology.
“Dexmate’s humanoid robot “VEGA” and integrated Physical AI development platform fundamentally lower the barriers to robot development and deployment by enabling anyone to easily design, configure, and operate AI-powered robots in real-world environments.
“Through this strategic partnership with NEC and their global expertise, we look forward to deploying our technology at scale and jointly accelerating the real-world implementation of Physical AI across a wide range of industries.”
The investment comes as technology companies increasingly look beyond generative AI operating primarily in digital environments toward physical AI systems capable of interacting with objects, people and real-world surroundings.
Robotics is emerging as one of the main areas for the application of these technologies, particularly as developers combine increasingly capable AI models with advances in perception, simulation and robotic control.
NEC says it intends to combine Dexmate’s technology with its own AI capabilities and experience across multiple industries to investigate potential applications.
Shigeki Wada, corporate senior vice president at NEC, says: “NEC has long been engaged in the research, development, and real-world implementation of AI technologies.
“Through dialogue with Dexmate, we aim to explore new possibilities for value creation in the Physical AI domain and, together with our partners, contribute to solving the challenges faced by customers and society.”
The NEC Orchestrating Future Fund operates as an ecosystem-based corporate venture capital fund supporting startups that could complement NEC’s technologies and business activities.
NEC says the investment in Dexmate forms part of its broader open innovation strategy, through which the company works with startups and other partners to develop new businesses and technologies.
Neither company disclosed the value of the investment.
