Pantera Capital has led a $20 million investment round in AI robotics software firm Openmind.
The funding round also saw participation from Coinbase Ventures, Digital Currency Group, and other investors.
Openmind, founded by Stanford University Bioengineering professor Jan Liphardt, develops open-source solutions to tackle interoperability challenges in robotics.
Its flagship products, OM1 and Fabric, aim to create a unified system enabling robots from different manufacturers to share data.
OM1 functions as a robotics operating system, while Fabric serves as an open-source protocol for cross-robot communication.
The company believes robotics innovation is hindered by siloed ecosystems where machines cannot easily exchange knowledge.
Pantera describes Openmind’s software as a “missing layer” that could transform the multi-billion-dollar robotics sector.
The decentralised approach mirrors the impact Linux and Ethereum had on their respective industries.
Pantera Capital, founded by Dan Morehead in 2003, was among the earliest to launch a crypto venture fund in 2013.
Partner Nihal Maunder said open intelligence networks are crucial for enabling robots to operate collaboratively in open environments.
The investment signals growing convergence between blockchain technology and the robotics industry.
Openmind’s solutions could pave the way for decentralised, interoperable robotics infrastructure on a global scale.