Former Apple Engineers’ Physical AI Startup Lyte Raises $165M At $1.6B Valuation
Lyte, a physical AI startup building sensing and perception technology for robots, has raised a Maverick Silicon-led $165 million Series C funding at a $1.6 billion post-money valuation.
Physical AI startup Lyte has secured $165 million in Series C funding, valuing the company at $1.6 billion. Led by Maverick Silicon, the round brings Lyte's total funding to $272 million. Lyte, based in Sunnyvale, California, was established in 2021 by a trio of former Apple engineers - Alexander Shpunt, Arman Hajati, and Yuval Gerson.
The company's technology focuses on custom silicon, 4D sensing, RGB, motion awareness, and AI software to enable robots to understand their surroundings. Industry veteran Alexander Shpunt, CEO and co-founder, explained that physical AI will lead to new categories of robots that require precise, real-time understanding of geometry and motion.
Funding in the physical AI sector has surged, with global venture capital pouring $47.4 billion across 521 deals in the first half of 2026, up from $12 billion in the second half of 2025.
Written by urgent.news from Crunchbase News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
