Loading...
Q1 2026 Rankings
Robotics engineering is concentrated in few teams, but signal density is high.
Key Takeaway
In Q1 2026, 5 of 6 tracked robotics startups show positive engineering acceleration. ihmcrobotics leads with 45 commits over 14 days (+800% change). The dominant signal pattern is "Framework migration". Average sector commit velocity is 92 commits per 14-day window. These engineering momentum signals have historically preceded fundraise announcements by three to six weeks.
Data sourced from public GitHub activity. Read our methodology
| # | Company | Stage | Geo | Commits (14d) | Change | Contributors | Contrib. Growth | New Repos | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ihmcrobotics IHMC Robotics Lab on GitHub View signal profile → | Growth | Unknown | 45 | +800% | 79 | +6% | 0 | Deploy frequency spike |
| 2 | commaai Building the Android of self-driving cars View signal profile → | Growth | Unknown | 128 | +205% | 100 | +0% | 0 | Deploy frequency spike |
| 3 | zapplyjobs Free job boards and career resources for students & new grads View signal profile → | Pre-seed | US | 13 | +63% | 3 | +400% | 0 | Engineering hiring burst |
| 4 | ArduPilot ArduPilot development team View signal profile → | Growth | Unknown | 262 | +32% | 100 | +0% | 0 | Framework migration |
| 5 | StanfordVL Research Codebase View signal profile → | Growth | US | 32 | +10% | 57 | +19% | 0 | Framework migration |
| 6 | borglab GTSAM is a library of C++ classes that implement smoothing and mapping (SAM) in robotics and vision, using factor graphs View signal profile → | Growth | Unknown | 69 | -42% | 100 | +0% | 0 | Framework migration |
Sorted by commit velocity change (14-day window, descending). Top 3 highlighted. Data last updated Q1 2026.
Free with email signup
Projected lead-time window
≈21-day lead window
Projected next milestone
Public launch / release
The free Sunday digest puts ihmcrobotics and 5 other Robotics startups this period in context — 14-day acceleration deltas, contributor maps, and the top names not on Crunchbase yet. Five names every Sunday, no card, no code-reading.
Unlock with email →Projections are model estimates derived from each org's public commit signal and the SSRN-published methodology — not statements of fact. Cross-reference with primary sources before acting.
The free Acceleration Watch: five venture-backed teams accelerating on the engineering signal, translated into plain English — 21 to 47 days before the deck circulates. No code-reading, no card.
Best of 2026
Top Robotics startups ranked across all 2026quarters →
Q1 2026 vs Q4 2025
How Roboticscommit velocity has shifted quarter-over-quarter →
By signal type in this sector
By stage
In Q1 2026, we are tracking 6 robotics startups with measurable GitHub engineering signals. 5 of 6 show positive commit velocity growth. The most common signal type is "Framework migration", observed in 3 of the tracked companies. The average 14-day commit velocity across the sector is 92 commits, with ihmcrobotics leading at 45 commits (+800% change). These patterns have historically preceded fundraise announcements by three to six weeks.
ihmcrobotics leads the robotics sector in Q1 2026 with 45 commits over a 14-day window, representing a +800% change from the prior period. With 79 active contributors, ihmcrobotics is showing a "Deploy frequency spike" pattern — one of the more reliable leading indicators of a significant product milestone or fundraise.
Among the 6 robotics startups we track, US accounts for the highest concentration with 2 teams. Startups building autonomous robots and robotic process automation. Geographic distribution matters for investors because engineering talent clusters correlate with sector-specific domain expertise and proximity to early adopter customers.