Config raises $27M to build the data layer for robotics AI

Config, founded in January 2025, has secured an oversubscribed $27 million seed round, bringing its total raised to $35 million at a valuation of more than $200 million. The funding round was led by Samsung Venture Investment and includes strategic and financial backing from a group of investors:

• Strategic Investors: Hyundai Motor, LG Technology Ventures, and SKT America.
• Financial Backers: Mirae Asset Ventures, Korea Development Bank, GS Futures, Kakao Ventures, and Z Ventures.
• Angel Investor: Pieter Abbeel.

The startup, which operates out of Seoul and San Jose, is positioning itself as the “TSMC of robot data.” Config aims to provide the foundational data layer for robotics foundation models (RFMs)—AI models designed for robotics—rather than building physical robots. This business model mirrors the Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC, which manufactures chips for other companies without competing with them. According to co-founder and CEO Minjoon Seo, robotics AI is more costly to develop than software-only chatbots because physical motion data must be manually collected using physical robots, facilities, and operators.

According to COO and co-founder Jack Bang, Config is already generating revenue. The company currently employs nearly 300 people across Seoul and Hanoi, Vietnam. To date, the startup has accumulated over 100,000 hours of human motion data. This dataset is more than 30x the size of AgiBot World, a comparable open source dataset that contains roughly 3,000 hours. Config plans to use its new capital to scale its data operations in Vietnam and Seoul toward 1 million hours of collected data, while aiming to reach $10 million in ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) by the end of 2027.

To scale its data collection, Config focuses on transforming human motion data before training begins so it is better suited to how robots move. Seo emphasizes that the company’s core differentiator is this conversion process. “The data must be converted, not the model. This conversion technology is Config’s core technical differentiator,” Seo said. The startup also plans to launch a cloud-based robot-as-a-service product, which will allow companies to run Config’s foundation model without requiring onboard hardware.

Why it matters

Config is positioning itself as the “TSMC of robot data” by providing the data layer for robotics foundation models. This approach has secured backing from major South Korean manufacturers who are increasingly seeking to build proprietary robot AI rather than relying entirely on outside vendors.