According to TechCrunch, Rivian has created its second spinoff company this year called Mind Robotics, focused on industrial AI and robotics. The company announced Tuesday in its third-quarter shareholder letter that it secured around $110 million in external seed capital for the new venture. Mind Robotics will use “industrial AI to reshape how physical world businesses operate” and leverage Rivian operations data. This follows Rivian’s March spinoff of its micromobility division into Also Inc, which was funded partly by Eclipse. A trademark application filed Monday lists Eclipse partner Jiten Behl as a signatory and lists Eclipse’s Palo Alto headquarters as the address. It’s unclear if Rivian employees will move to the new company, though CEO RJ Scaringe hinted at the possibility.
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What’s the actual strategy here?
So Rivian‘s basically creating these little side ventures while trying to scale electric truck production. They’re sitting on all this operational data from running factories and supply chains, and now they want to monetize that expertise. But here’s the thing – industrial AI and robotics is a brutally competitive space right now. Everyone from GM to Tesla is throwing money at similar problems.
The timing is interesting though. Rivian’s still burning cash on their core business, so spinning out these ventures with external funding makes sense. They get to keep some equity while reducing their own capital commitment. And Eclipse seems to be their go-to partner – they backed Also Inc back in March too.
But what does this company actually do?
Look, the trademark application is ridiculously broad. We’re talking everything from machinery to “incubators for eggs.” That’s either a company that hasn’t figured out its focus yet, or they’re keeping things intentionally vague. The whole “robotics data flywheel” thing sounds like consultant-speak for “we’ll figure it out as we go.”
I’m curious about the employee situation too. With Also Inc, Rivian people actually moved over. But they’re being cagey about whether that’ll happen here. If they’re pulling talent from the mothership, that could create some internal tension while Rivian’s still trying to hit production targets.
The bigger picture
Basically, this feels like Rivian trying to position itself as more than just a vehicle manufacturer. They want to be a tech platform company that happens to make electric trucks. It’s smart in theory – diversify revenue streams, leverage existing expertise, and maybe stumble into the next big thing.
But let’s be real – spinning out companies while your main business is still unprofitable is risky. The trademark filing shows they’re casting a wide net, which makes me wonder if they’ve actually found a specific problem to solve. Still, $110 million isn’t pocket change – someone believes in the vision enough to write a big check.
