Nidus raises $30 million to train robot models inside defense factories, starting with wire harnesses

Nidus, a New York startup that teaches conventional industrial robots to do precision assembly, has raised $30 million, it said on Nov. 10. Costanoa led the pre-seed and Kleiner Perkins the seed, Upstarts Media reported. Ludlow Ventures, SF1, Absolute Partners and Tau joined, along with angels including Hadrian founder Chris Power and Archer chief commercial officer Nikhil Goel.

The product is a promise about where data lives. Nidus says it trains its robot foundation models with "sovereign AI" practices, so a defense supplier's collective knowledge stays in its own secure environment, and it says its platform was built to meet Department of War security requirements. That is the market's entry fee. Upstarts reports the company is betting that general labs such as Physical Intelligence, Skild AI and Figure AI, which sell physical AI to everyone, will struggle to meet it. "Defense is just such a different customer than folding towels at Holiday Inn," chief executive Justin Sealy told Upstarts.

The first job is wire harness preparation, with kitting, pre-assembly and circuit boards to follow. Nidus was founded in March 2026 by four former Vannevar colleagues and has about a dozen staff. It says revenue passed seven figures in its first four months; Upstarts puts it at more than $1 million in bookings, with no customer named.

The same day, welding-AI maker Path Robotics raised $300 million on the strength of a Navy shipbuilding deal. Nidus is entering the same defense supply chain at a tenth of the money, through a smaller and less visible job.