# Investor's Perspective on State of Robotics; Apologizing to Boston Dynamics

- Show: [The Robot Report Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast)
- Published: 2021-02-27
- Length: 55m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-27-investors-perspective-on-state-of-robotics-apologizing-to-boston-dynamics
- Listen: https://soundcloud.com/robot-report-podcast/an-investors-perspective-on-the-state-of-robotics-inside-the-spac-craze

## Summary

Kevin Dunlap, co-founder and managing partner of Calibrate Ventures, discusses the state of robotics investment, the SPAC craze, and the importance of recurring revenue models. He shares insights on evaluating early-stage companies, citing portfolio firms like Embodied Robotics and FarmWise, and reflects on his time at NASA JPL regarding the Perseverance Rover's landing. The episode also covers recent industry news, including Motional's driverless robotaxi testing and ABB's new collaborative robots.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-27-investors-perspective-on-state-of-robotics-apologizing-to-boston-dynamics#t=0) Apology to Boston Dynamics and Spot Controversy
- [8:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-27-investors-perspective-on-state-of-robotics-apologizing-to-boston-dynamics#t=513) Calibrate Ventures Thesis and Investment Criteria
- [17:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-27-investors-perspective-on-state-of-robotics-apologizing-to-boston-dynamics#t=1033) Embodied Robotics and the Future of Human-Machine Interaction
- [22:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-27-investors-perspective-on-state-of-robotics-apologizing-to-boston-dynamics#t=1346) NASA JPL Experience and Perseverance Rover Landing
- [27:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-27-investors-perspective-on-state-of-robotics-apologizing-to-boston-dynamics#t=1654) The SPAC Trend and Berkshire Gray IPO
- [35:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-27-investors-perspective-on-state-of-robotics-apologizing-to-boston-dynamics#t=2135) Late-Stage Funding and Agricultural Robotics
- [38:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-27-investors-perspective-on-state-of-robotics-apologizing-to-boston-dynamics#t=2328) Advice for Founders and Common Investment Mistakes
- [46:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-02-27-investors-perspective-on-state-of-robotics-apologizing-to-boston-dynamics#t=2819) Industry News: Motional, ABB Cobots, and Mars Audio

## Topics

- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Calibrate Ventures (company)
- Boston Dynamics (company)
- Spot (product)
- Embodied Robotics (company)
- Moxie (product)
- FarmWise (company)
- Berkshire Gray (company)
- Motional (company)
- ABB (company)
- GoFa (product)
- Swifty (product)
- Perseverance Rover (product)
- NASA (company)
- JPL (company)
- Ring (company)
- iRobot (company)
- Evolution Robotics (company)
- Locust Robotics (company)
- Cruz (company)
- Lyft (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [OpenAI's SORA 2 Drops + WE CALLED THE BUBBLE TOP + Shopping Agents Win](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/built-2-scale/2025-10-03-openais-sora-2-drops-we-called-the-bubble-top-shopping-agents-win) (Built 2 Scale)
- [191: The State of Robotics: Live From the 2024 Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston, MA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-06-25-191-the-state-of-robotics-live-from-the-2024-robotics-summit-expo-in-boston-ma) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [Independent Investment Banking in Robotics, Automation, and AI with Cascadia Capital’s Firdaus Pohowalla](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2022-02-08-independent-investment-banking-in-robotics-automation-and-ai-with-cascadia-capit) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [Reimagining and Investing in Legacy Industries with Obvious Ventures’ Nan Li](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2021-11-30-reimagining-and-investing-in-legacy-industries-with-obvious-ventures-nan-li) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [BONUS: Hear what Investors, Educators, and High Growth Companies have to say about the future of Robotics, Automation, and AI, Pt. 1 of 2 (brought to you by Cascadia Capital)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2022-06-24-bonus-hear-what-investors-educators-and-high-growth-companies-have-to-say-about) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)

## Citing this page

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