# UMA: humanoid robotics company

Canonical ID: `af0090f1-5594-4e01-abcd-2f6a7c99c910`

## Key facts

- **CEO:** [Rémi Cadène](/people/remi-cadene.md) (ex-Tesla Autopilot/Optimus)
- **CTO:** [Simon Alibert](/people/simon-alibert.md) (co-founder LeRobot at Hugging Face)
- **CSO:** [Pierre Sermanet](/people/pierre-sermanet.md) (ex-Google DeepMind)
- **CRO:** Rob Knight (The Robot Studio, SO-100 designer)
- **Founded:** 2025, Paris, France
- **Funding:** [~$40M seed (reported)](/investors.md) ([see investors](/investors.md))
- **Key investors:** [Greycroft](/investors/greycroft.md), [Relentless](/investors/relentless.md), [Unity Growth](/investors/unity-growth.md) + AI angels (Yann LeCun, Olivier Pomel, Thomas Wolf)
- **Technology:** Real-Time Learning via demonstration
- **Target market:** Warehouses and industrial first, homes later
- **Potential customers:** 50 in discussions (company-reported)

- **Slug:** uma
- **Status:** private
- **Founded:** 2025
- **HQ:** Paris, France
- **Category:** [Humanoids](/humanoids)

## Models

- [Northstar](/models/northstar.md) (humanoid) (id: `2c545266-4b15-419b-bf3c-44e5cd939b82`)

## Current leadership (4)

- [Rémi Cadène](/people/remi-cadene.md) Co-Founder & CEO (secondary-verified)
- [Pierre Sermanet](/people/pierre-sermanet.md) Co-Founder & CSO (secondary-verified)
- [Simon Alibert](/people/simon-alibert.md) Co-Founder & CTO (secondary-verified)
- [Robert Knight](/people/robert-knight.md) Co-Founder & CRO (secondary-verified)

## Supplies to

_No verified supply relationships on file. Supply-chain coverage is being added across the registry; check back as the seed populates this company's outbound edges._

_Outbound supply edges. Each appears when verified with at least two strong sources. Sources are append-only; corrections add new sources rather than rewrite history._

## Common questions

### What is UMA?

UMA (Universal Mechanical Assistant) is a Paris-based humanoid robotics startup founded in 2025 by former Tesla Autopilot/Optimus engineer Rémi Cadène, Google DeepMind founding robotics member Pierre Sermanet, LeRobot co-creator Simon Alibert, and robotic hand pioneer Rob Knight. The company develops the [Northstar](/models/northstar) humanoid robot powered by Real-Time Learning, designed for warehouse and industrial applications before expanding to homes. Backed by ~0M in seed funding from Greycroft, Relentless, Unity Growth, and notable AI angels.

### What does UMA make?

UMA has 1 robot model on the DEPLOY registry: Northstar (UMA builds physical robots).

### Is UMA publicly traded?

No. UMA is privately held and not publicly traded, per the DEPLOY registry.

### Who competes with UMA?

On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to UMA building in the same form factors include Unitree Robotics, AgiBot, Boston Dynamics, UBTech Robotics.

### How can I invest in UMA?

UMA is a private company; its shares are not available on public markets, so retail investors cannot buy the stock today.

### Where is UMA headquartered?

UMA is headquartered in Paris, France.

### Who owns UMA?

UMA is privately held; ownership sits with its founders and private investors.

### Where does UMA operate robots?

UMA is a robot manufacturer and does not directly operate deployments on the DEPLOY registry. Its products are deployed by customer operators; see the company page for the verified deployment record.

### When was UMA founded?

UMA was founded in 2025.


## Sources (2)

1. https://electrek.co/2026/07/07/tesla-optimus-scientist-uma-humanoid-robot/ · 2026-07-07
2. https://uma.bot/

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