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According to Amulya Vishwanath, who spent seven years heading product marketing for NVIDIA's robotics platforms, robotics is currently in its "Lego era." She explains that the fundamental components—actuators, robotic hands, software, and safety standards—are still being reconstructed. This perspective stands in contrast to the belief held by some that robotics, driven by a general foundation model, is on the verge of its "ChatGPT moment"—that day in late 2022 when the remarkably capable chatbot was unveiled. (Pim de Witte, CEO of General Intuition, told Equity earlier this year that a single general foundation model would render much of today's specialized robotics work obsolete and would be that moment.) They also discussed what she has learned as one of the first women executives to spin out of Nvidia and launch her own early-stage firm focused on investing in physical AI across robotics, materials science, and life sciences. Listen to the full episode to hear more about:

Why Vishwanath defines physical AI as more than robots: "a molecule, a material, a medicine," or a machine on a factory line. What she means by "conscious automation."

Why the best opportunities solve big problems like family-run factories that can't find workers to surgeons facing burnout. Why she wants founders to see their VC as their moat, and how years at NVIDIA built the network she now uses for due diligence and customer introductions. Where she thinks the U.S. and China each have the edge, and why humanoids should be good for more than dancing. Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You can also follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod