Sam Altman Backs Alfred — Physical AI Startup for Robotics R&D at $40M Valuation

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Altman is reportedly backing Alfred, a 9-month-old startup building software to compress robotics R&D timelines, co-founded by Ankit Ukil (ex-Tesla designer) and Dömötör Gulyas (ex-Meta Reality Labs engineer). The company is raising at a $40M valuation as physical AI VC hit $5.3B in April alone. This fits Altman's stated two-part robotics vision: near-term deployment alongside skilled tradespeople, eventually personal robots for everyone. For builders: physical AI tooling is becoming a distinct investment category.