Exclusive: Mistral robotics chief seeks €200m for new startup

Mistral's robotics chief is seeking €200 million to launch a new startup focused on developing AI models for robotics. These models will be trained on a more extensive data set than what is currently available to competitors. Daphné Leprince-Ringuet, the chief of robotics at Mistral, is a senior reporter for Sifted, based in Paris. She specializes in covering French tech and also writes the AI and Deeptech newsletter for Sifted.

Tom Nugent serves as the managing editor of Sifted, covering robotics, chips, and university spinouts. He can be found on X and LinkedIn. Freya Pratty, Sifted’s associate editor, focuses on UK tech and leads the publication’s investigations. Freya is also active on X, LinkedIn, and Bluesky. The article emphasizes the growing trend of robotics startups raising significant capital in Europe in the first half of 2026, with record numbers of venture capital firms making repeat investments in the sector.

Chipmakers and AI infrastructure players are leading this activity, according to Sifted data. The article also highlights the emergence of 17 physical AI startups poised to power the shift towards integrating AI models into physical applications.