Lyte

Robotics · Physical AI · Semiconductors

Funding

Lyte raises $165M Series C at $1.6B valuation for robot perception tech

Robotics makers are increasingly paying for a unified sensing stack instead of stitching together off-the-shelf cameras and lidar themselves.

• Lyte closed a $165 million Series C led by Maverick Silicon, valuing the physical AI perception startup at $1.6 billion post-money.
• Founded in 2021 by former Apple engineers who worked on Face ID and 3D-sensing pioneer PrimeSense, Lyte builds custom silicon and sensors that help robots perceive their surroundings.
• The new round more than triples Lyte's valuation from January 2026, when it emerged from stealth with $107 million in combined Series A and B funding.
• Lyte's LyteVision platform fuses cameras, high-resolution imaging and inertial sensors on one synchronized timeline rather than reconstructing motion in software after the fact.
• Lyte has now raised $272 million total since 2021, arriving as global venture funding in physical AI hit $47.4 billion across 521 deals in the first half of 2026, up nearly 4x year over year.
• Lyte plans to use the funding to scale production of its sensing silicon and LyteVision platform and to expand hiring across silicon, software, optics and manufacturing.
• The deal underscores investors betting that robotics companies will pay a premium for an integrated, purpose-built perception stack rather than assembling sensors piecemeal.