Aug 4, 2025

Podcast: Alex Hawkinson on Dealmakers — Betting Big on Physical AI

What does it take to build a company that doesn’t follow the typical SaaS playbook? On the Dealmakers podcast, BrightAI founder and CEO Alex Hawkinson talks with host Alejandro Cremades about scaling real-world AI, selling SmartThings to Samsung, and why the physical world deserves just as much innovation as the digital one.

🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

Aug 4, 2025

Podcast: BrightAI’s Vision for AI in the Physical World

On the latest episode of Inspired, Alexa von Tobel interviews BrightAI CEO Alex Hawkinson about building companies that reshape how the world works—from SmartThings to BrightAI, and his mission to bring Physical AI to essential industries like HVAC, utilities, and more.

They discuss why Inspired Capital chose to invest, what lies ahead for BrightAI, and, in a more personal moment, how Alex handles stress, stays grounded, and the kindest thing anyone’s ever done for him.

🎧 Listen to the full episode here

Jul 18, 2025

Press Release: BrightAI Raises $51M Series A to Scale Physical AI

BrightAI has raised $51 million in Series A funding to bring real-time intelligence and automation to the physical infrastructure that powers modern life. The round was co-led by Khosla Ventures and Inspired Capital, with participation from BoxGroup, Marlinspike, VSC Ventures, Rsquared VC, Cooley LLP, and others.

Full press release follows below.

Press Release

BrightAI Raises $51M from Khosla Ventures and Inspired Capital to Bring Physical AI to the World’s Essential Services

BrightAI adds $51 million in Series A funding from leading infrastructure and AI investors, bringing total funding to $78 million.
Backed by leaders from SmartThings, Rivian, and Microsoft, BrightAI equips frontline teams to outpace labor shortages, aging infrastructure, and climate risk.
A new San Francisco headquarters will support expansion into new industries, customers, and hires across engineering and operations.

San Francisco, CA, United States – WEBWIRE – Friday, July 18, 2025

BrightAI, the company bringing AI into the physical world to power smarter, more resilient infrastructure, today announced a $51 million Series A funding round co-led by Khosla Ventures and Inspired Capital, with participation from BoxGroup, Marlinspike, VSC Ventures, Rsquared VC, Cooley LLP and other strategic investors with deep operational experience across essential sectors like water, energy, and industrial infrastructure. Upfront Ventures led BrightAI’s Seed round, and this new capital brings BrightAI’s total funding to $78 million.

While AI has rapidly transformed the digital world, the physical infrastructure that keeps it all running—power grids, water pipelines, industrial systems—has been left behind. These essential networks are strained by aging assets, climate volatility, and deepening labor shortages. In the U.S. alone, pipeline leaks waste over 6 billion gallons of treated water every day—enough to supply 15 million homes—while power outages cost the economy more than $150 billion annually and equipment failures add another $50 billion in industrial downtime.

BrightAI was founded in 2019 with a bold mission: to bring AI into the physical world. Led by CEO and founder Alex Hawkinson, who previously founded SmartThings, BrightAI is replacing reactive inspections and manual maintenance with intelligent, always-on systems. The platform empowers field teams to anticipate and prevent failures before they happen, transforming the fundamental approach to infrastructure management for the first time since the Roman era.

AI will not only transform the digital world but our physical world as well,” said Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures. “BrightAI is using AI to monitor and maintain aging infrastructure, from power grids to pipelines and more, securing key assets for our future.

Despite touching the most essential parts of daily life, these systems are still monitored manually, with sparse data and infrequent inspections. Operators are often in the dark until something breaks—leading to costly, last-minute interventions. Risks like power outages or burst pipes remain difficult to predict and even harder to fix.

BrightAI gives field teams something they’ve never had before: true observability. While most AI systems are running out of new data to learn from, BrightAI is just getting started—unlocking billions of previously untapped signals from the physical world and turning them into real-time, actionable insights. With its platform, Stateful, teams gain always-on visibility into even the most remote physical assets.

BrightAI has solved a problem that’s lingered for decades—manual, reactive maintenance that leaves operators blind until critical failures occur,” said Alexa von Tobel, Managing Partner at Inspired Capital. “By deploying intelligent systems that can see, interpret, and act in real time, BrightAI brings the clarity and control these industries have long needed. This is real, high-impact innovation—built for the physical world.

Deployed across 50,000+ locations, BrightAI is building a dynamic, ever-expanding knowledge graph of the physical world. Its technology is embedded directly into the built environment—using sensors, drones, and wearables to continuously monitor asset health and deliver real-time, actionable insights. Field teams know exactly what to do before small anomalies become costly failures.

By transforming inspections and maintenance, BrightAI helps customers boost productivity, improve service quality, enhance worker safety, and navigate ongoing labor shortages. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

No more flashlight-and-clipboard patrols: BrightAI’s sensors and edge-AI monitor assets with expert insight around the clock, surfacing issues before crews ever step into the field.
No more repetitive, risky work: AI-powered robots take on dirty and dangerous inspection tasks, reducing safety hazards and freeing human teams to focus on skilled, high-value jobs.
No more steep learning curves: Wearables and mobile tools deliver real-time AI guidance, equipping new technicians with the know-how of a seasoned expert—on day one.

For decades, the physical world has lacked real-time awareness—teams have been forced to operate reactively, without the visibility they need,” said Alex Hawkinson, Founder and CEO of BrightAI. “We designed BrightAI to close that gap by continuously capturing and translating real-world signals into actionable intelligence. When you can truly observe what’s happening, you can get ahead of problems rather than chase them. That shift isn’t incremental—it’s foundational. And with the backing of Khosla Ventures and Inspired Capital, we’re scaling that transformation across the essential services that the world depends on.

This shift is already playing out across the real world. BrightAI has achieved product-market fit in sectors like power, water, pest control, HVAC, and manufacturing—surpassing $100 million in revenue. Its Stateful platform is built to learn and operate in any physical environment, and with fresh funding and an expanded leadership team, the company is scaling into new markets and accelerating commercial deployments. A new San Francisco headquarters opens next quarter, with plans to hire 50+ new team members over the coming year. The next chapter is about unlocking physical AI at global scale—to transform how the world’s essential systems are seen, understood, and managed.

To learn more, please visit: https://www.bright.ai/

About BrightAI
BrightAI is transforming essential services with Physical AI—real-world intelligence that drives proactive, data-driven operations. Built on the Stateful platform, BrightAI empowers operators of critical infrastructure to collect and connect sensor data in real time, uncover hidden insights, and make smarter decisions. From predictive diagnostics and autonomous robotics to digital twins and AI-enabled workflows, BrightAI solutions serve industries including water, power, gas compression, pest control, HVAC, and manufacturing. By turning complex physical signals into actionable intelligence, BrightAI is redefining how essential services are delivered and sustained.

Original press release available on WEBWIRE.

Jul 18, 2025

Announcing BrightAI’s $51M Series A to Bring Physical AI to the World’s Essential Services

Everyday systems—those that deliver power, water, clean air, and safety—are overdue for a smarter approach. BrightAI brings observability, automation, and intelligence to the essential services the world relies on every day.

BrightAI was founded to bring intelligence to the essential systems that power modern life. Today, we’re proud to share that we’ve raised $51 million in Series A funding to accelerate that mission. The round was co-led by Khosla Ventures, an early backer of OpenAI known for supporting breakthrough technologies that transform industries, and Inspired Capital, whose team brings deep expertise in scaling complex, operationally intensive infrastructure businesses. They’re joined by BoxGroup, Marlinspike, Rsquared VC, Cooley, VSC Ventures and other strategic investors with experience across energy, water, and industrial systems—exactly the sectors where change is most needed.

This milestone follows a year of rapid momentum: we’ve now surpassed $100 million in revenue, deployed over 250,000 AI endpoints across 50,000+ locations, and expanded into the essential sectors that keep homes, cities, and industries running.

The system is failing—and the fix is overdue

The essential services we rely on—power, water, gas, construction, pest control, and HVAC—are aging, overburdened, and increasingly vulnerable to failure. A cracked pipe doesn’t just leak—it shuts down neighborhoods. A blown transformer can take out a hospital or a city’s emergency response system.

For decades, we’ve operated under the same flawed framework: wait for something to break, then scramble to fix it. But today, the consequences of failure are compounding. In the U.S. alone, pipeline leaks waste over 6 billion gallons of treated water daily, enough to supply 15 million homes. Power outages cost the economy more than $150 billion annually, while equipment failures drive another $50 billion in industrial downtime. These systems are under increasing strain from climate volatility and a shrinking frontline workforce. The reactive model isn’t just inefficient—it’s unsustainable.

At the root of it all is a lack of observability. Unless someone physically inspects an asset, we’re flying blind. And by the time something’s visible, it’s often already too late.

Our focus is the physical world

While most AI has been applied to language, images, or software, we’re building intelligence for the systems that move water, deliver power, regulate temperature, and keep facilities safe. These are the core operations that modern life depends on—and they’ve gone too long without visibility.

Our platform, Stateful, acts like a real-time operating system for the physical world. It fuses edge AI, multimodal sensor data, and autonomous systems to give operators the one thing they’ve never had: true visibility into how essential services are functioning, right now.

This is what full observability looks like in action: sensors monitor field assets like power poles in real time, detecting early signs of stress or failure. That data flows into Stateful, which interprets live conditions and determines the appropriate response. Drones perform autonomous inspections, while field crews use wearables to access the same insights on the ground. Working together, these components create a continuous feedback loop—making essential systems fully observable, actionable, and resilient.

And that’s just one industry. With just a few weeks of initial data, our system adapts to nearly any physical environment. Power, water, gas, climate control, pest management—these aren’t background functions. They’re the foundation of modern life. When one fails, the consequences cascade. BrightAI gives operators the visibility to intervene before systems break down.

The future is observable

With this funding, we’re scaling commercial deployments, opening a new San Francisco headquarters, and hiring 100+ team members across engineering, operations, and go-to-market. We’re also continuing to expand Stateful, evolving it into the core intelligence layer for infrastructure globally.

The goal is simple: fix what’s broken, prevent what’s preventable, and reimagine how the world is maintained before it fails us. If you’re building, managing, or modernizing the world’s essential services, let’s connect.

BrightAI’s Series A was also featured in Bloomberg’s exclusive coverage of AI-driven infrastructure innovation.
→ Read the article

Jun 11, 2025

Press Release: BrightAI Surpasses $100M and Expands Leadership Team

BrightAI is accelerating growth with a major leadership expansion, appointing new executives to scale operations and drive deployment of its edge AI platform, Stateful. As part of this leadership team growth, BrightAI has surpassed $100 million in revenue and welcomed Gerald Choung as Chief Revenue Officer, alongside two senior engineering leaders: Phil Constantinou and John Dring. This marks a significant milestone in BrightAI’s evolution as a leading AI infrastructure company.

Full press release follows below.

Press Release

BrightAI Surpasses $100M in Revenue and Taps Microsoft, Evernote, and Intel Veterans as Chief Revenue Officer and SVPs of Engineering

BrightAI adds senior leaders across revenue, cloud, and hardware engineering to drive operational scale and accelerate deployment of its Stateful platform.
A new San Francisco headquarters will support West Coast expansion and continued hiring from leading companies across logistics, robotics, and enterprise technology.
With this leadership expansion, BrightAI transitions from core development to commercial scale, deepening market reach and preparing for expanded field deployment.

San Francisco, California, United States – WEBWIRE – June 5, 2025

BrightAI, the company bringing AI into the physical world to power smarter, more resilient infrastructure, today announced a major expansion of its leadership team as it surpasses $100 million in lifetime revenue and enters a new phase focused on commercial scale and platform deployment.

At the center of this momentum is the appointment of Gerald Choung as Chief Revenue Officer. Phil Constantinou has been appointed as SVP of Cloud and Mobile Engineering, and John Dring as SVP of Hardware and Firmware Engineering—two seasoned leaders focused on scaling BrightAI’s platform and operations. Their arrival builds on a leadership foundation anchored by CTO Kiran Bharwani, formerly of Rivian and Caterpillar, who leads the company’s technical vision and architecture.

Choung’s appointment signals BrightAI’s deep commitment to building the commercial and operational capacity required to meet accelerating demand. With more than two decades of experience building and leading revenue organizations across enterprise software, IoT, and infrastructure, Choung will lead all go-to-market functions—including sales, marketing, and partnerships—as BrightAI enters a new phase of growth and deployment. His background includes leadership roles at Microsoft, Qualcomm, ESET, and most recently, as CRO at Platform Science and ActiveState, where he consistently unlocked new markets, scaled high-performing teams, and delivered durable growth.

I joined BrightAI to tackle the operational challenges that have held essential industries back for decades,” said Gerald Choung, Chief Revenue Officer at BrightAI. “These sectors haven’t had the benefit of modern, field-ready technology—and BrightAI is uniquely positioned to change that by improving efficiency, increasing quality and resilience, and delivering long-term value at scale.

As BrightAI builds on this commercial foundation, its technical leadership continues to expand in lockstep. Constantinou and Dring bring complementary expertise in software, hardware, and systems engineering. At Evernote, Constantinou helped scale the platform to over 200 million users. He later led mobile and cloud efforts for biosensor platforms in health tech. At BrightAI, Constantinou will lead development of the mobile and cloud layers of Stateful, an AI platform that fuses edge sensors, autonomous robotics, and multimodal functional models to modernize infrastructure and bring real-time field intelligence to the edge. His focus will be on delivering intuitive tools that connect frontline teams to real-time, context-rich digital twins.

Dring complements this work with deep expertise in embedded systems and connected devices. With senior roles at Intel and VitalConnect, he has led architecture and product development across hardware and cloud. At Intel, he helped build one of the first WiMAX chipsets, and at VitalConnect, he oversaw development of the HealthPatch wearable system. As SVP of Engineering, he will lead hardware and systems engineering for BrightAI’s autonomous robotics and wearables, developing intelligent systems that enhance precision, safety, and operational uptime.

The world runs on physical systems—power lines, pipelines, equipment in the field—and they’ve been left behind by traditional software,” said Alex Hawkinson, Founder and CEO of BrightAI. “At BrightAI, we’re building a new class of AI that lives where the work happens. That takes a different caliber of leadership. Gerald knows how to scale with precision. Phil and John know how to build systems that bridge cloud and edge. Together with Kiran, they form the team that will take BrightAI from breakthrough to backbone.

BrightAI is also expanding its physical footprint, opening a new headquarters in San Francisco to support continued growth. The office will open next quarter and initially house nearly two dozen employees, with plans to hire more than 50 additional team members in the next year. These appointments and investments reflect BrightAI’s readiness for expanded field deployment, continued platform evolution, and deepening industry engagement.

BrightAI has also attracted top contributors from leading companies across technology, logistics, and robotics—including TensorIoT, Humane, Google, Roku, Canoo, Ware2Go, Frore System, AvaSure, Brain Corp, and Offworld.

The future of AI is physical—and we’re building the systems that keep the real world running,” said Golda Hartman, Chief People Officer at BrightAI. “BrightAI is bringing together top talent from software, infrastructure, and embedded systems to modernize the essential services the world depends on every day. This is a purpose-built team transforming how critical systems are designed, deployed, and sustained.

Original press release available on WEBWIRE.

Mar 27, 2025

Press Release: BrightAI and Latham Bring AI Innovation to the Pool Industry

BrightAI and Latham, The Pool Company, have partnered to launch Measure by Latham Pools, an AI-powered scanning system that transforms how pool liners and covers are measured, quoted, and ordered. By eliminating manual tape measurements and reducing errors, Measure dramatically improves speed, accuracy, and customer satisfaction—setting a new benchmark for the pool industry.

Full press release follows below.

Press Release

BrightAI and Latham, The Pool Company, Partner to Bring AI-Powered Innovation to Pool Manufacturing

Measure by Latham Pools is powered by BrightAI’s technology to transform how pool liners and covers are measured, quoted, and ordered
AI-driven scanning eliminates manual measurement errors, accelerating order fulfillment and reducing production delays
The partnership brings automation and intelligence to pool manufacturing, enabling seamless ordering, faster installations, and improved customer satisfaction

San Francisco, California, United States – WEBWIRE – Thursday, March 27, 2025

BrightAI, a company bringing AI to the physical world to drive smarter, more efficient cities and industries, and Latham Group, Inc. (“Latham” or “the Company”) (Nasdaq: SWIM), the largest designer, manufacturer, and marketer of in-ground residential swimming pools in North America, Australia, and New Zealand, have partnered to create Measure by Latham Pools, an AI-powered measurement technology that transforms how pool liners and covers are measured, manufactured, and installed.

BrightAI is redefining how industries interact with the physical world, replacing legacy manual processes with real-time AI-driven intelligence. By optimizing industrial infrastructure and streamlining manufacturing, BrightAI delivers efficiency at scale. Now, BrightAI is bringing that same innovation to pool manufacturing.

No two pools are exactly alike, making precise measurements essential to ensuring a perfect fit. Yet, for decades, builders have relied on manual tape measurements and hand-drawn sketches—a time and labor-intensive process vulnerable to errors. Even the smallest miscalculation can result in costly rework, production delays, and frustrated customers. With every pool having unique dimensions and structural features, builders and manufacturers often face back-and-forth verification, creating bottlenecks that slow down the entire order-to-installation process.

BrightAI and Latham share a vision to digitize this process, eliminating inefficiencies and bringing AI-driven precision to pool measurement and manufacturing. By leveraging BrightAI’s AI-powered measurement system, Measure ensures accuracy the first time, streamlining workflows and cutting production timelines. The Measure system consists of:

M1 Scanner equipped with lasers to capture precise pool dimensions and structural details in real time
An iPad Air® running the Measure app for real-time data processing
A tripod for stable, secure setup in the field

Once measurements are captured using laser scanning technology, the data is automatically uploaded to Latham’s Builder Management Portal, enabling real-time drawings, accuracy verification, and streamlined quote and order processing. The laser scanning technology reduces the need for two-person crews at a pool site, allowing builders to measure with a single technician and helping dealers process orders faster—cutting manufacturing timelines from weeks to days.

Our partnership with Latham is a perfect example of how AI can transform industries that have long relied on manual processes,” said Alex Hawkinson, Founder and CEO of BrightAI.
“By integrating our AI, Latham has been able to digitize the pool industry and replace manual processes with real-time precision. Fewer mistakes result in fewer remakes, accelerating production and improving overall efficiency. This is exactly what BrightAI was built for—bringing AI into the physical world to solve complex industry challenges and drive real business impact.

The system has already delivered significant performance improvements, making pool manufacturing faster, more precise, and more scalable:

5x Faster Turnaround Times: AI automation reduces measurement time from days to minutes, improving workflow efficiency
Increased Accuracy & Fewer Errors: AI-driven precision eliminates costly rework and delays
Lower Labor Costs & Higher Productivity: Builders can measure with a single technician, rather than relying on highly paid, specialized crews
Seamless Manufacturing & Ordering Integration: Pool liners and covers are produced faster and more accurately, ensuring on-time delivery and installation

Beyond an efficiency upgrade, this is a category-defining transformation for the pool industry,” said Scott Rajeski, President and CEO of Latham Pool.
“With BrightAI’s technology, we’re digitizing a process that has remained manual for decades—bringing speed, accuracy, and automation to pool manufacturing. We see a future where pool technicians no longer need a measuring tape at the job site.

Latham plans to scale its AI-powered measurement technology across operations, modernizing the pool measurement process on an industry-wide scale. This expansion aims to set a new benchmark for precision, efficiency, and customer satisfaction in the pool industry.

For more information about BrightAI, please visit https://www.bright.ai.

About BrightAI

BrightAI is transforming essential services with Physical AI, enabling proactive, AI-powered operations. Built on our Stateful platform, BrightAI empowers operators of critical infrastructure to collect and connect data in real time, uncovering hidden insights and enabling smarter, faster decision-making. Stateful integrates multimodal data from sensors, wearables, and autonomous systems to deliver predictive diagnostics, automated workflows, and intelligent operational support.

Our solutions serve industries such as water, power, gas compression, pest control, HVAC, and manufacturing—helping service providers and asset owners boost efficiency, minimize downtime, and anticipate emerging challenges. By transforming complex data into actionable intelligence, BrightAI is redefining how essential services are delivered and evolved.

About Latham Group, Inc.

Latham Group, Inc. [NASDAQ: SWIM], headquartered in Latham, NY, is the largest designer, manufacturer, and marketer of in-ground residential swimming pools in North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Latham has a coast-to-coast operations platform of over 2,000 employees across 30 facilities.

Original press release available on WEBWIRE.

Mar 14, 2025

Podcast: Alex Hawkinson on Tech Seeking Human

BrightAI CEO and Founder Alex Hawkinson recently joined the Tech Seeking Human podcast to discuss how AI, IoT, and automation are modernizing infrastructure with AI. The episode explores how these technologies are transforming legacy systems across sectors like utilities, water, and manufacturing.

Alex shares how building SmartThings shaped his vision for BrightAI. That same vision is now helping companies modernize field operations with real-time intelligence, predictive analytics, and autonomous systems.

He explains how BrightAI’s platform helps companies:

Detect and resolve issues before failures occur
Boost workforce productivity and reduce manual processes
Shift from reactive maintenance to proactive, AI-powered operations

If you’re interested in infrastructure technology, AI in the field, or scaling operations, this episode is a must-watch.

🔗 Watch the full episode

Mar 12, 2025

BrightAI CEO Alex Hawkinson on SXSW Panel: Modernizing Dirty Jobs to Tackle Climate Change

BrightAI CEO and Founder Alex Hawkinson recently joined the “Dirty Jobs and a Warming Planet” panel at SXSW. He spoke alongside leaders in tech and sustainability to explore how AI in physical industries can address climate change and modernize critical infrastructure.

Alex highlighted the untapped potential of field operations in sectors like power, water, and HVAC. These industries make up 85% of the global economy. He explained how BrightAI equips field teams with real-time insights to improve decision-making, increase productivity, and build more sustainable systems.

A standout moment came when Alex asked:

If you could understand the state of the world in real-time—like a digital twin of the physical world—what would that unlock for you?

🎧 Listen to the full panel discussion here

Mar 4, 2025

Media: BrightAI CEO Alex Hawkinson on Physical AI and Infrastructure Innovation (Unite.AI)

How do you rethink infrastructure from the ground up?

For BrightAI CEO and Founder Alex Hawkinson, it started with a realization: the same intelligence that revolutionized smart homes could do far more than automate living spaces—it could transform the physical world.

In a recent interview with Unite.AI editor Antoine Tardif, Alex shares his journey from founding SmartThings to leading BrightAI, the emergence of Physical AI, and the urgent need for industries like water, power, and transportation to shift from reactive maintenance to proactive operations.

💡 Key takeaway: Infrastructure industries don’t suffer from a lack of data—they lack the tools to make it actionable for the people on the ground.

Read the full interview on Unite.AI

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