Interesting rumour,  not everything can be proofed.  But the idea of blockchain id for robot dogs was new to me:

Translation by bot:
Today I saw that OpenMind has raised $20 million in funding, led by Pantera. Sequoia China is also listed among the investors.

Now, to be fair, Sequoia China investing in Web3 projects isn’t really news anymore. But the fact that they’ve invested in a Web3 robotics project, especially after backing Unitree Robotics, definitely caught my attention—it suggests this is not just another trend.

Robotics has indeed been heating up over the past two years: Tesla’s humanoid robot (Optimus), Unitree’s humanoid robots in China, industrial arms, service robots—you hear “embodied intelligence” being talked about everywhere.

But here’s the issue: these robots are basically working in silos. A skill learned by a robot from Company A is useless to one from Company B.

OpenMind’s goal is simple: to make it possible for robots to learn from each other and collaborate. They’ve built two products:

OM1, a robot operating system

FABRIC, a collaboration protocol.


In their own words, they want to become the “Linux” or “Ethereum” of the robotics world.

🔗 Blockchain Meets Robotics

From a technical point of view, OpenMind wants to give every robot an on-chain identity and use blockchain to manage trust and collaboration among them.

Example:
Let’s say a robotic arm in Factory A needs to cooperate with an AGV (automated guided vehicle) from Factory B. Traditionally, this kind of cross-company setup is nearly impossible. But in OpenMind’s system, the two robots can securely share information and skills via smart contracts.

In short: They’re using blockchain to solve the trust issue between devices from different manufacturers and locations. That’s a very Web3-native approach, but also one that tackles a real-world problem.


---

💰 The Investor Lineup Is Also Interesting

Pantera and Coinbase Ventures represent crypto-native capital.

Sequoia China has a history in robotics (e.g., Unitree).

DCG—this seems to be their only investment in robotics so far.

Ribbit Capital brings experience in fintech and infrastructure.

And surprisingly, Pi Network Ventures is also involved.


This group of investors could offer strong strategic support and resource synergies. It definitely opens up the imagination.


---

🧠 Overall Take

OpenMind has several strengths:

A novel and timely track (Web3 + Robotics)

A technically sound approach

Backing from high-profile investors


To be honest, combining Web3 with robotics does sound intriguing. Robotics is clearly on the rise, and if OpenMind manages to become the infrastructure layer that enables collaboration, it’s a compelling narrative.

Whether they can truly make the business model work remains to be seen—but as an early-stage project, OpenMind has significant potential. If the robotics industry truly takes off, and they’ve positioned themselves at the core of interoperability, this could turn into a major success story.



Interesting field for Pi