CarbonSix Raises $40M Series A to Scale Physical AI for Global Manufacturing

CarbonSix, a Physical AI company building deployment-ready robotic intelligence for manufacturing, has raised $40 million in Series A funding, drawing a syndicate of both Korean and U.S. venture capital firms.

The round was co-led by DSC Investment and LB Investment. New investors IMM Investment, Korea Development Bank, SV Investment, Cortentia, and ASQ joined the round, while all existing seed-round investors — Foothill Ventures, Storm Ventures, Zeitgeist Capital, Xquared and CarbonBlack Fund — fully participated with follow-on investments.

The Series A comes just over a year after CarbonSix raised a $4.3 million seed round led by Foothill Ventures in May 2025.

Field-tested in Korea, built for global scale

CarbonSix’s strategy centers on proving its technology on real production lines before expanding into the broader global manufacturing market. The company develops AI-powered robotic software and hardware that can be deployed directly into manufacturing operations, including robotic hands and manipulators engineered to automate complex production tasks. Unlike many robotics startups focused on research or pilot programs, the company said its products are already being used in commercial manufacturing environments.

At the heart of the business is what CarbonSix calls a “data flywheel.” Rather than relying solely on large generalized AI models, the company deploys production-ready automation tools that generate operational data during day-to-day factory use. That data is then used to refine AI models, creating a feedback loop that continuously improves system performance while delivering measurable operational benefits to customers.

The approach is meant to tie Physical AI directly to deployment and revenue, rather than leaving it stranded at the demo stage. From day one, the company has prioritized field reliability, seamless adaptability, and clear return on investment (ROI) for its clients — a strategy that has already translated into commercial contracts and scaling revenue.

A team with deep academic and industry roots

CarbonSix is led by a founding team that blends startup exit experience with research pedigree. Founded by CEO Tae-yeon Terry Moon (SuaLab co-founder), CTO H.J. Terry Suh (MIT Ph.D.) and CHO Je-hyeok Kim (former Yale postdoc), CarbonSix has already secured commercial contracts and generated revenue.

The company’s academic-heavy roster reflects a wider pattern in Korea’s deep-tech scene, where PhD-led teams are increasingly attracting institutional backing. LinqAlpha — known in Korea as LinkAlpha and founded in part by MIT computer science PhDs — recently closed a Series A, underscoring the same trend. LinkAlpha, an AI-based institutional investment workflow platform company, said it has completed a Series A funding round worth about 34 billion won ($22 million).

CEO Tae-yeon Terry Moon said the company’s aim has always been practical rather than technology for its own sake, describing the raise as validation of a deployment-first, revenue-backed approach and pledging aggressive investment in talent and infrastructure to accelerate factory automation worldwide.

Investors echoed that thesis. “CarbonSix is a rare gem in the robotics AI landscape because they have bridged the gap between technical demos and actual factory-floor monetization,” said Seongmin Kang, director at DSC Investment. He added that the scalability of the data flywheel model — where immediate utility and continuous data accumulation reinforce each other — builds a durable competitive moat.

The new capital will go toward talent acquisition, product, data and computing infrastructure, and building out overseas business development and local customer support as CarbonSix expands globally.