Dulo, an artificial intelligence startup co-founded by Sebastian Thrun and Adrian Aoun, has raised $130 million in seed funding to develop what the company describes as an Engineering Superintelligence focused on hardware design
The company is building foundation models designed specifically for engineering and hardware development, extending the foundation-model approach that has transformed areas such as language and software into the physical engineering world. Dulo aims to create AI systems that can help with increasingly complex hardware design work.
Aoun confirmed the financing in a LinkedIn post, noting that he and Thrun co-founded Dulo earlier this year. A prominent group of technology investors and venture capital firms backed the $130 million seed round. Investors supporting Dulo include Marc Benioff, John Doerr, Eric Schmidt, Ram Shriram, Yuri Milner, Construct Capital, Lowercarbon Capital, Bling Capital, BoxGroup, SV Angel, Haun Ventures, and Scribble Ventures, among others.
The size of the seed financing gives Dulo substantial resources as it builds foundation models for a field where AI systems must contend with constraints beyond generating digital content. Hardware engineering involves factors such as physical tolerances, materials, manufacturability, simulations, and failure modes, creating a different set of technical challenges than those faced by general-purpose language models.
Dulo’s approach also reflects growing investor interest in applying advanced AI models to specialized scientific and engineering disciplines. Rather than positioning AI primarily as a productivity layer for knowledge workers, the company targets the underlying process of designing physical products and systems.
Thrun brings extensive experience developing and commercializing emerging technologies, while Aoun is an entrepreneur and investor. Their new company is entering the market with one of the largest early-stage financing rounds for a startup pursuing AI-driven engineering.
The funding gives Dulo significant backing as it develops its foundation-model technology and pursues its broader ambition: building AI capable of transforming how engineers design hardware.
“Earlier this year Sebastian Thrun and I co-founded Dulo on a mission to create an Engineering Superintelligence, building foundation models for hardware design.”
“We appreciate the support from Marc Benioff, John Doerr, Eric Schmidt, Ram Shriram, Yuri Milner, Construct Capital, Lowercarbon Capital, Bling Capital, BoxGroup, SV Angel, Haun Ventures, Scribble Ventures, and many others.”
Adrian Aoun, Co-Founder of Dulo
