# Viam opens six-month Launchpad program in New York for robotics startups

- Published: 2026-11-13 06:57 UTC
- Section: Industry & People › Start-ups
- Tags: Viam Launchpad, robotics startup program, robotics software platform, Eliot Horowitz, robot deployment, ROS, Isaac Sim, F-Prime robotics report, RoboBuilt, Gambit kitchen robot
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-d91d3f8d7c4c00c4862c8b8d_viam_opens_six/

**Viam, a robotics software platform, has launched a six-month Launchpad program in New York with usage credits, engineering support and lab access for early-stage startups.**

![Viam opens six-month Launchpad program in New York for robotics startups](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/c82668fc45e3fff3.webp)
*therobotreport.com*

Viam, a robotics software company founded in 2020 by Eliot Horowitz, former co-founder and CTO of MongoDB, has launched Viam Launchpad, a six-month program for robotics startups in New York, according to therobotreport.com. [1] The program is meant to take founders from an early concept to a commercial installation. Its author, the program's advising executive director, writes that the goal is installation day rather than demo day. [1]

Participants receive Viam usage credits, engineering support and office space in New York City. Viam also operates a robotics lab with a robot arm farm. The curriculum covers customer-discovery feedback loops, go-to-market strategy and access to mentors and investors. [1]

## Platform and first users

Viam describes its product as a universal software abstraction layer for building and deploying hardware systems across fleets. Horowitz said that a small team starting from zero can prototype in weeks or months. [1] Startups already using the platform include Gambit, Tennibot and Canyon Runner. Gambit, co-founded by Horowitz and Nicole Maffeo, is developing a fully automated kitchen with two robot arms located in the range vent. [1]

RoboBuilt, an indoor construction robotics company in the first Launchpad cohort, said it can move from planning in a digital environment to physical robot actions within minutes. Co-founder Shean Rahman said the team previously worked in Isaac Sim and expects to leave the program with a working commercial deployment before its seed round. [1]

## Market figures

According to F-Prime data, automation investment this year has exceeded the previous four years combined, passing $60 billion in nine months. Of that, only $1.3 billion went to software that speeds up robotics deployment. [1] The market for such enabling systems is projected to exceed $23 billion by 2031, as part of a $78 billion robotics software market. [1]

The field already has established options. AWS shut down its RoboMaker service last year after seven years of limited traction. The Robot Operating System (ROS) has an estimated 1.3 million monthly users, and NVIDIA's Isaac Sim passed 1 million cumulative downloads this year. [1]

## Sources

1. [therobotreport.com](https://www.therobotreport.com/viam-launchpad-aims-to-accelerate-robotics-deployments)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-d91d3f8d7c4c00c4862c8b8d_viam_opens_six/