The verified answer
As of Aug 2026, DEPLOY verifies Proception: 2 models, $11.0M raised, 1 active incident. 2 sources back the record.
Overview
Silicon Valley startup developing dexterous robotic hands for humanoid manipulation. Founded in 2024 by ex-Tesla Optimus engineer Jay Li and Jack Xu, the company's flagship product ProHand 1.0 is a 22-degree-of-freedom, tendon-driven robotic hand designed to give humanoid robots human-level manipulation capabilities. Proception is a Y Combinator W25 alum and also offers ProGlove 1.0, a wearable data-capture glove for training manipulation policies from human demonstrations.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- None on file
- Active incidents
- 1 incident on file
Key facts
Lead investor
Other investors
Founder
CEO
Co-founder
Seed funding
YC batch
Product
Data & sources
Press releases
1
News coverage
1
2 sources backing this record.View all →
Models (2)
View all models →Previous platform
ProHand 1.0
A 22-degree-of-freedom, tendon-driven robotic hand with 18 actively controlled joints, 20kg grip strength, 10ms control loop, and an integrated wrist camera. Designed for research-grade dexterous manipulation and humanoid robot integration.
Current platform
ProHand 1.0
22-DOF tendon-driven dexterous robotic hand designed for humanoid manipulation research. Paired with ProGlove, a sensor-laden data collection glove. First batch shipping to researchers and robotics companies in 2026.
Proception on the deployment map
View the global mapProception has no verified deployments on the DEPLOY registry yet. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
No verified deployments for Proception on the DEPLOY record yet. Track Proception to know the moment the first one is verified.
Relationships
Current leadership (2)
Founders (2)
Safety record
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Incidents affecting Proception (1)
- Tesla sued Proception founder Jay Li alleging theft of Optimus robot trade secrets2025-06-12 · Regulatory action
Includes incidents linked directly to this company, to its models, or to deployments of its models or under its operation. Retracted incidents are excluded from this view but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Recent coverage
Proception in third-party press
Peer companies
- Roborock20 models
- DJI7 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- Robotphoenix5 models
- Earendil Robotics4 models
- AstroForge3 models
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- private_reported
- Lifecycle stage
- early
- Counterparty risk class
- low
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Funding rounds (1)
- Seed2026-06-29
$11M(reported)
Investors: First Round Capital, Y Combinator, BoxGroup
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdJul 2, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Incident recordedJun 12, 2025
Tesla sued Proception founder Jay Li alleging theft of Optimus robot trade secrets
Sources (2)
Common questions
What is Proception?
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How much funding has Proception raised?
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Is Proception safe?
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-05
Verification posture
Verified
High confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-08-05
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- secondary-industry-publication
- Industry publication
- 1
- primary-company-ir
- Company IR disclosure
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Proception.Peer companies
- Roborock20 models
- DJI7 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- Robotphoenix5 models
- Earendil Robotics4 models
- AstroForge3 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Proception from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Proception Advances Physical AI with Dexterous Robotic Hand Designed Using Autodesk Fusion
Autodesk covers how Proception designed ProHand 1.0 using Fusion CAD, a research-grade robotic hand for dexterous manipulation with integrated sensing.
Proception settles Tesla trade secret suit and raises 1M seed
Proception (ex-Tesla Optimus engineer Jay Li) settled Tesla trade secret lawsuit. Raised 1M seed from First Round Capital, YC, BoxGroup. Makes ProHand and ProGlove dexterous robot…
Proception Raises 1M in Seed Funding, Introduces Dexterous Robotic Hand
Proception raised 1M in seed funding and launched ProHand 1.0, a 22-DOF robotic hand designed for humanoid manipulation.
Proception - The dexterous robot hand we wish existed
Proception's Y Combinator launch page describing their dexterous robot hand and data-capture glove approach to training manipulation policies.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/proception.md
- RSS feed: /companies/proception/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/fbcf0031-defc-4535-baf6-30fbc8170602
- Revision history: /companies/proception/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Roborock20 models
- DJI7 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- Robotphoenix5 models
- Earendil Robotics4 models
- AstroForge3 models
Video
Reality vs attention
Proception draws attention at the 74th percentile but verifies reality at the insufficient-data level among other robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Safety profile within acceptable range for category. Active fundraising activity with a recent closing. Limited public visibility and press coverage relative to peers.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Aug 18, 2026