# Yondu: service robotics company

Canonical ID: `9091062f-cb32-4072-a586-60e6becd491e`

## Key facts

- **Product:** [Yondu Work Force](/models/yondu-work-force.md) — end-to-end fulfillment automation with [humanoid](/humanoids) picking + stationary arm packing
- **Investors:** [Y Combinator](/investors/y-combinator.md), [Link Ventures](/investors/link-ventures.md), [SBXi](/investors/sbxi.md), Prod ([see investors](/investors.md))
- **Integration:** Direct WMS integration, brownfield deployment (no new infrastructure)
- **Total funding:** [$500K (Seed, Jul 2024)](/investors.md) ([see investors](/investors.md))
- **Head of Research:** Lianhao Yin (MIT CSAIL Postdoc in Robotic Systems)
- **YC Batch:** W24 (Winter 2024)
- **YC Partner:** Diana Hu
- **Team size:** 12 (company-reported, Aug 2026)
- **Pricing:** $50,000 per robot, $5,000/year maintenance (company-reported)
- **Deployment partner:** Shipbots (3PL, Gardena CA)
- **Hero image candidate:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzglTuRloCo (source: official YouTube channel thumbnail)

- **Slug:** yondu
- **Founded:** 2024
- **HQ:** Gardena, CA, USA

## Models

- [Yondu Work Force](/models/yondu-work-force.md) (service) (id: `d53889a3-af17-4b2e-a71d-0a6c9168278c`)

## Current leadership (2)

- [Michael Chen](/people/michael-chen.md) CEO & Co-founder (SEC-verified)
- [Tahmid Jamal](/people/tahmid-jamal.md) CTO & Co-founder (SEC-verified)

## Partnerships (1)

- [Yondu x Shipbots](/partnerships/yondu-x-shipbots.md) with Shipbots _deployment_

## 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 Yondu?

[Yondu](/companies/yondu) is a Los Angeles-based robotics company building drop-in, general-purpose robots for 3PL warehouse fulfillment automation. Founded at [MIT](/companies/mit) by Michael Chen and Tahmid Jamal as part of [Y Combinator](/companies/y-combinator) W24, Yondu deploys humanoid robots for bin-picking, packing, and end-to-end e-commerce order fulfillment, integrating directly with existing warehouse management systems (WMS). The company is the first to fully automate brownfield bin-picking at a price point mid-sized warehouses can afford.

### What does Yondu make?

Yondu has 1 robot model on the DEPLOY registry: Yondu Work Force (Yondu builds physical robots).

### Where is Yondu headquartered?

Yondu is headquartered in Gardena, CA, USA.

### Where does Yondu operate robots?

Yondu 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.

### Is Yondu a top robotics company?

On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, funding, hiring, media, safety, and IP signals, Yondu ranks in roughly the top 85% of companies tracked by the registry.

### When was Yondu founded?

Yondu was founded in 2024.


## The verified answers

- [Which companies have the most robots deployed](/which-companies-have-the-most-robots-deployed.md)
- [Which operators run the most robots](/which-operators-run-the-most-robots.md)
- [Which robot operators cover the most countries](/which-robot-operators-cover-the-most-countries.md)

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