Ex-Nvidia researchers raise $90M seed for world model startup Veeda
What's the deal? Veeda AIDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Toronto startup founded by former Nvidia researchers led by computer scientist Sanja FidlerDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, has raised $90 million in seed financing, The Logic reports. Radical VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Khosla Ventures backed the round; Khosla confirmed its investment, while Radical did not respond to a request for comment.
What's the endgame? VeedaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → is building multimodal foundation world models for physical AI — systems that work across language, image, and video to simulate real-world mechanics, with applications in robotics and embodied intelligence. The firm is in stealth mode and is hiring scientists, machine learning engineers, and staff to manage the chip clusters that train its systems.
Why now? Fidler announced last week that she was leaving Nvidia after eight years leading AI research, where she headed the Toronto-based Spatial Intelligence Lab. "World models is where the next breakthrough lies, and it is around the corner," she wrote in a LinkedIn post announcing her departure.
The founders incorporated Veeda in early June. Late last month it issued 60.6 million seed shares at $1 each and added two directors: Radical partner Tomi PoutanenDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Khosla partner Sven StrohbandDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → — changes typically tied to fundraising.
Who's the team? Fidler's co-founders are Huan LingDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a former Spatial Intelligence Lab colleague, and Zan GojcicDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Zurich-based former Nvidia research director. Fidler joined the University of Toronto faculty in 2014, is a founding member of the Vector InstituteDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and holds a research chair under the federal AI strategy. Ling wrote that the team is "focused on the future of generative content creation."
By the numbers: At $90 million, Veeda's seed round sits above the 99th percentile of all seed rounds in its industry, based on a sample of more than 23,000 deals.
The signal: World model startups are drawing heavy backing. AMI Labs, from former Yann LeCunDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and World Labs, founded by Radical scientific partner Fei-Fei LiDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, are pursuing similar goals. Waabi, led by U of T professor and Vector co-founder Raquel UrtasunDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, raised a $750 million round in January co-led by Khosla with Radical participating — a sign the same investors are betting repeatedly on Canadian talent chasing physical AI.
Read more: The Logic
Image credit: Veeda AI
