Sam Altman is backing Alfred, a stealth physical AI startup building software for robots and cars, according to internal documents. The company—founded 9 months ago in Hawthorne, California—aims to raise at a $40 million valuation and is pitching investors on
Sam Altman didn’t just talk about the next step in artificial intelligence. He put money behind it—quietly—through Hydrazine Capital, backing a stealth startup called Alfred that wants to bring AI to the machines that move through the real world.
Alfred is being run by former Tesla and Meta employees, and it has attracted funding beyond Altman’s venture vehicle. The startup is also backed by Khosla Ventures. SV Angel. Chapter One. and others. according to internal documents reviewed by Business Insider. Alfred’s leadership is now seeking capital at a $40 million valuation, co-founder Ankit Ukil told Business Insider.
The pitch is built around physical AI: software that helps engineers build faster the kinds of robots and driving systems that rely on real-world action. In April alone, physical AI startups raised around $5.3 billion in VC funding, according to Crunchbase data.
That timing matters. Alfred’s push arrives as robotics capital pours in—and as Altman publicly keeps insisting robots are where the future lands. On X over the weekend. he wrote: “In the short term. we are focused on robots to support skilled workers to build our future infrastructure; in the long term. we imagine everyone having a personal robot doing anything they need.” On Sunday at Nvidia GTC Taipei. the company announced a standard humanoid robot blueprint for academic researchers. expected to be available in late 2026.
Alfred’s roots are unusually hands-on. The startup is led by Ukil. a former Tesla designer. and Dömötör Gulyas. a former engineer at Meta Reality Labs. Ukil said he and Altman “initially bonded over their love of cars,” adding: “He’s a big car guy. I met Sam a while ago, and he largely believed in me before the company existed.”.
Altman’s interest in cars has been on display before. Business Insider previously reported that Altman was filmed driving an ultra-rare $5 million Koenigsegg Rivera in Napa in 2024. Neither Altman nor OpenAI responded to requests for comment.
Alfred is pitching investors on a software platform designed to speed up engineering work. Ukil said the startup’s flagship platform is under development, and that Alfred is in “active conversations” with unspecified automakers, defense, and robotics companies.
The team behind the effort is intentionally anchored in manufacturing reality. According to the documents, Alfred’s roster includes designers and engineers from Tesla, Ford, and Honda. The startup was founded 9 months ago. according to Ukil’s LinkedIn profile. and it is based in Hawthorne. California—opposite the SpaceX factory where the Falcon rockets are made.
The end goal is not just building robots, but changing how quickly they can get made. Ukil said Alfred’s ultimate objective is to turbocharge manufacturing by shrinking research and development timelines—so engineers can “skip gruntwork” and focus on adding new features. He pointed to automotive examples, describing features “often seen in the latest Chinese electric vehicles.”.
Altman’s role in the deal fits a broader investment profile. Over the past 15 years, he has made more than 170 investments, according to PitchBook data. His venture capital firm Hydrazine Capital is the vehicle through which he invested in Alfred. The reporting also notes that Altman has no equity in OpenAI. but his venture investments—including stakes in Stripe. Reddit. and Helion Energy—have helped make him a billionaire.
Sam Altman Alfred Hydrazine Capital physical AI robotics software platform robotics funding Khosla Ventures SV Angel Chapter One Hawthorne California Tesla Meta Reality Labs Nvidia GTC Taipei humanoid robot blueprint Koenigsegg Rivera PitchBook Crunchbase