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.

Nov 20, 2024

BrightAI Raises $15M to Advance Physical AI

BrightAI has raised a $15M Series Seed round to scale its Physical AI platform — a breakthrough in AI-powered infrastructure that helps operators shift from reactive fixes to proactive, autonomous operations. By embedding intelligence into the physical world, BrightAI’s technology is transforming how critical infrastructure is inspected, maintained, and optimized.

A Mission to Modernize Infrastructure

Our mission is to modernize infrastructure management by using multimodal AI to anticipate and prevent failures before they happen. With $15 million in new funding led by Upfront Ventures, we’re unveiling the potential of our Stateful platform — read more on Upfront’s investment in BrightAI.

Today, 50% to 80% of infrastructure operating costs are tied to labor and truck rolls just to assess conditions. Without a clear picture of asset health, operators are often left scrambling to respond to power outages, water main breaks, bridge collapses, gas leaks, and even food contamination. These events can be avoided with access to real-time insights.

That data already exists — and now, Stateful puts it directly in the hands of field teams. Our platform turns fragmented infrastructure data into actionable intelligence that supports faster, smarter decisions.

Meet Stateful: BrightAI’s Physical AI Platform

Purpose-built for industries like water, energy, pest control, and manufacturing, our platform is already at work in the field. We’ve deployed over 250,000 active AI endpoints and 25,000 AI-powered locations — more than Starbucks stores in the U.S. BrightAI reached $80 million in revenue while operating in stealth mode and without raising outside capital. Until now.

Stateful captures exclusive, real-time data that no other system can access. This data powers multimodal AI models that detect issues before they escalate. As a result, teams can make confident dispatch decisions and prevent unnecessary delays. With BrightAI, workers show up equipped with insights equivalent to 30 years of experience on day one. That means fewer failures, lower costs, and stronger infrastructure resilience.

Infographic with four sections: Asset & Site Visibility, Inspection Autonomy, Workforce Wearables & Copilots, and Stateful OS & Software Suite. Each section highlights specific AI-driven capabilities with related monochrome illustrations.

What the BrightAI Physical AI Platform Delivers

The BrightAI Physical AI platform, known as Stateful, includes three core offerings:

1️⃣ Asset & Site Visibility

Imagine having 24/7 monitoring, diagnostics, and automated dispatch at your fingertips. Stateful provides continuous visibility into infrastructure conditions, empowering teams with real-time insights to anticipate and resolve issues before they escalate.

2️⃣ Workforce Wearables & Copilots

With our AI-powered wearable solution, field workers receive real-time guidance and reporting. They’re also supported by a comprehensive knowledge graph. These tools help crews make faster decisions and stay fully informed in the field.

3️⃣ Autonomous Inspection

Using autonomous robotics and drone systems, Stateful automates complex, repetitive, and risky tasks. It increases inspection accuracy and frequency while reducing operational risk.

A New Era of Resilient Infrastructure

For leaders of critical infrastructure, these capabilities unlock the ability to:

Move from reactive to proactive management
Empower field teams with data-driven tools
Scale inspections with greater safety and lower costs

Already deployed across water, power, energy, transportation, pest control, HVAC, and critical home services, BrightAI is transforming how major industries manage and maintain infrastructure. Today, large, traditional businesses can evolve into data-driven operating systems of their own. They now have access to tools that were once reserved for billion-dollar tech companies.

Our technology is leading this shift. It replaces outdated, reactive methods with proactive, AI-powered precision. With this $15M seed round, we’re scaling the BrightAI Physical AI platform to serve new industries, expand into more regions, and support businesses of all sizes.

Together with our partners and investors, we’re building a future where resilient, efficient infrastructure is within reach for everyone.

Nov 19, 2024

Press Release: BrightAI Launches Stateful OS to Modernize U.S. Infrastructure

For too long, America’s infrastructure has been stuck in a reactive cycle—waiting until the damage is done before springing into action. At BrightAI, we’re breaking that cycle.

Today, our team is excited to launch Stateful OS, an AI-powered platform transforming how infrastructure is managed. With over 250,000 AI endpoints deployed across 25,000 sites (more sites than Starbucks stores in the U.S), we’re equipping blue-collar workforces with real-time insights to spot and address risks before they escalate. From water and power to utilities, we’re empowering teams to take a proactive stance that keeps critical systems resilient, efficient, and ready for the future.

BrightAI has deployed over 250,000 sensors and achieved $80 million in revenue—all while staying in stealth mode and without raising outside capital. Until now. Today, we’re emerging from stealth with a $15 million seed round funded entirely by Upfront Ventures.

Full press release follows below.

Press Release

BrightAI Unveils Stateful OS, a Platform Leveraging Multimodal AI to Fix America’s Pipes, Sewers and Powerlines

The platform has over 250,000 AI endpoints deployed across 25,000+ locations, serving critical industries such as water management, energy, utilities, and manufacturing
Team brings experience in AI, IoT and autonomous systems from brands including SmartThings, Rivian, and Meta
Now, the company is taking on VC dollars and is announcing $15M in Series Seed funding led by Upfront Ventures, to accelerate the growth of the platform

San Francisco, California, United States – WEBWIRE – Tuesday, November 19, 2024

BrightAI, a leader in AI-driven solutions for critical infrastructure, today announced the launch of Stateful OS, its advanced AI platform designed to enhance productivity, resilience, and sustainability for infrastructure operators. The launch follows a recent seed funding round that will support BrightAI’s plans to extend the platform’s reach across key industries.

Traditional infrastructure maintenance is inefficient and reactive, relying on routine visits and manual checks to identify problems. With 50% to 80% of operations costs spent on labor and truck rolls, many organizations are forced to assess infrastructure conditions without real-time visibility into potential risks. This lack of comprehensive data leads to costly failures, such as power outages, water main breaks, and gas leaks, that could have been prevented with proactive management.

BrightAI’s Stateful OS platform offers blue-collar industries a forward-looking approach, enabling operators to move from reactive to proactive decision-making, and is purpose-built to serve industries including critical services, water, energy, transportation, construction, power, pest control, and manufacturing.

With over 250,000 active AI endpoints and 25,000 AI locations—deployed at more sites than Starbucks stores in the U.S.—Stateful OS captures exclusive, real-time data that no other system can access. This data fuels multimodal AI models that detect infrastructure flaws before they escalate into catastrophes. By allowing workers to act at the speed of machines, the platform equips them with the equivalent of 30 years of master technician experience on their first day, helping to prevent failures, reduce costs, and enhance operational resilience.

Stateful OS delivers a comprehensive set of capabilities, such as:

Asset & Site Visibility: Real-time insights through 24/7 monitoring, diagnostics, and automated dispatch, offering continuous visibility into infrastructure conditions.
Workforce Wearable Copilot: AI-powered field reporting and guidance, supported by a comprehensive operations knowledge graph, allowing workers to make real-time decisions in the field.
Inspection Autonomy: Autonomous robotics & drone systems that automate complex, dangerous, and repetitive tasks, increasing both inspection frequency and accuracy while reducing risk.

A leadership team with proven expertise in AI, IoT, and automation is driving this transformation. BrightAI’s founder and CEO, Alex Hawkinson, previously founded SmartThings, an IOT platform powering over 1 billion smart home devices that was sold to Samsung in 2014. He’s built a team of industry veterans, including Kiran Bharwani, BrightAI’s Chief Technology Officer, who developed Rivian’s autonomous driving platform from inception to IPO, and executing on the $1 billion Amazon delivery EV project. The leadership team also brings experience from Meta, Microsoft, and Frontdoor.

The physical graph has always been my long term vision to digitize the physical world. SmartThings focused on connecting millions of homes, while BrightAI is focused on outside of homes, solving for our critical infrastructure that human civilization relies on, from the water we drink to the power we consume. Our aging infrastructure is failing, and BrightAI will fundamentally change how it’s managed and maintained,” said Alex Hawkinson, Founder & CEO of BrightAI.
“With Stateful OS, we’re not just improving efficiency; we’re enabling a shift towards data-driven, sustainable infrastructure management. We’ve partnered with our initial customers to understand their roadblocks and ensure our platform can alleviate them, and now we’re ready to expand to improve infrastructure across industries.

In partnership with leading private equity firms in infrastructure, BrightAI is transforming six major industries and impacting tens of millions of consumers and businesses. Now, to further accelerate the development of its platform and grow its customer base, BrightAI recently secured $15 million in Series Seed funding led by Upfront Ventures.

One example of BrightAI’s impact can be seen in its partnership with Azuria Water Solutions, an early adopter of Stateful OS. Traditional methods of pipeline inspection relied on subjective, manual assessments, which can lead to costly errors.

BrightAI is building autonomous systems for infrastructure inspections and operations, and Azuria will deploy these robotic systems equipped with multimodal AI sensors, which will collect real-time data processed through BrightAI’s Stateful OS platform. These sensors will provide exclusive data that no other solution can access, which will enable Azuria to make faster, more precise decisions. Azuria expects substantial improvements in quality and job satisfaction. Through automated data collection, coding and greater accuracy through AI-driven precision, Azuria expects to reduce errors in measurements and cutting processes.

Technology helps yield better results and makes work more enjoyable. We’re working to supplement difficult and repetitive work that can pose safety risks with robots, so our people can focus on higher-value tasks,” said Rob Tullman, CEO of Azuria.
“We are not shrinking as a result of this; we’re growing. BrightAI’s solutions will allow us to operate smarter, faster, and more efficiently.

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

About BrightAI:

BrightAI is a category-defining infrastructure AI company on a mission to transform global infrastructure from reactive to proactive management, setting a new standard in resilience and sustainability. With its Stateful OS platform, BrightAI enables organizations to gather real-time data, see the unseen, and understand the true state of their infrastructure with unprecedented efficiency. The company’s offerings include a comprehensive infrastructure AI platform and a vertical application stack that delivers sector-specific AI monitoring, diagnostics, and autonomous systems for managing infrastructure health.

Founded by AI pioneers and infrastructure experts, BrightAI supports industrial and infrastructure segments globally, including large service providers, asset owners, and government agencies in sectors such as water, power, gas, renewable energy, transportation, waste management, pest control, HVAC, and critical home services. By leveraging cutting-edge AI technology, BrightAI is setting new standards for infrastructure management and maintenance, paving the way for smarter, more efficient cities and industries.

Original press release available on WEBWIRE.

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