San Francisco-based robotics startup Origin has emerged from stealth with $20 million in total funding to develop and deploy general-purpose robots for interior construction. The financing was co-led by Accel and Zacua Ventures, with participation from Unilazer Ventures, Schema Ventures, Z21, ISAI and Imad Ventures, alongside unnamed angel investors associated with Anduril, Skild AI, 1X and Tesla.
Founded in early 2025 by Yogesh Ghaturle (CEO), Ashish Daga (Head of Hardware) and Tushar Makkar (Head of Autonomy), Origin develops autonomous robots designed to perform multiple interior construction tasks using a single hardware platform. The company will use the funding to expand production of its flagship OG-1 robot, increase deployments and prepare customer pilots in the US, Germany, Sweden, France and Saudi Arabia.
Building Autonomous Robots for Interior Construction
Construction companies continue to face shortages of skilled workers, particularly in labour-intensive trades that require repetitive physical work. According to a 2026 survey cited by Origin, labour shortages delayed projects for 42% of responding US construction firms. While automation has become more established in heavy construction, many interior tasks, including wall finishing, painting and drywall installation, still depend on manual labour.
Origin’s first product, OG-1, is a modular robot that currently automates wall-finishing workflows. It applies compound, sands surfaces and primes walls without requiring human intervention during those tasks. The robot operates on a three-wheeled mobile platform with a 360-degree view of its surroundings and can work at heights of up to 14 feet. Its interchangeable tools and real-time force control allow it to handle surfaces such as corners, pillars, edges and high walls while adapting to uneven construction environments.
The system is powered by Origin’s Construction Action Model, an AI model developed specifically for construction tasks. It combines a reasoning system that plans workflows, an action policy that determines how the robot should navigate and use its tools, and a controller that translates those decisions into physical movements. The model is trained using simulated environments and data collected from construction sites, allowing Origin to improve performance as its robots encounter different layouts, materials and working conditions.
Origin deployed its first robots on construction sites in New York within 10 months of its founding. OG-1 is now being used across commercial buildings, residential developments, data centres, hotels and warehouses. According to the company, its robots can complete wall-finishing work at approximately three times the speed of human workers while maintaining comparable quality. These performance figures are company-reported and have not been independently verified.
Funding to Expand Deployments and Manufacturing
The $20 million in funding will primarily support production and deployment of OG-1 robots, alongside further development of Origin’s modular hardware and AI technology. The company is preparing large-scale pilots with customers in the US and Europe, including two major US drywall-finishing contractors, with additional projects planned in Germany, Sweden, France and Saudi Arabia.
Origin aims to have 150 robots deployed by the end of 2027. Its longer-term product roadmap includes additional interior construction tasks such as taping, drywall installation, drilling and conduit installation. Rather than developing a separate robot for each application, the company plans to expand OG-1’s capabilities through interchangeable tools and updates to its Construction Action Model.
The founding team brings experience across software, AI and hardware engineering. CEO Yogesh Ghaturle previously founded Perpule, a cloud-based point-of-sale company acquired by Amazon in 2021. Tushar Makkar previously led AI teams at Eightfold AI, while Ashish Daga worked on precision automation hardware at Morphle Labs.
The financing also brings construction industry expertise to Origin’s expansion. Zacua Ventures, which focuses on technologies for physical industries, will support the startup through its network of contractors, developers and manufacturers. Vivin Hegde, Founding Partner at Zacua Ventures, has joined Origin’s board of directors.
With its initial wall-finishing technology already deployed on construction sites, Origin is now focused on increasing manufacturing capacity and extending its robotic platform to additional interior trades.
