The son of the US President, Eric Trump, is an advisor and investor in robotics startup Foundation Future Industries, which previously tested its robots in the war in Ukraine. The startup now hopes to collaborate with the defense agencies of his country in the future.
The son of the US President, Eric Trump, is an advisor and investor in robotics startup Foundation Future Industries, which previously tested its robots in the war in Ukraine. The startup now hopes to collaborate with the defense agencies of his country in the future.
According to CNBC, the startup was founded in 2024 and aims to use humanoid robots for military and industrial purposes.
This San Francisco-based company recently invited Eric Trump to serve as its chief strategy advisor.
According to Sankaet Pathak, CEO and founder of Foundation Future Industries, the startup has set ambitious goals — to increase production to thousands of units this year and begin testing with the US military within the next 18 months.
Interestingly, the aforementioned Sankaet Pathak is known for previously running the controversial fintech platform Synapse, which declared bankruptcy in 2024. Shortly after, he founded Foundation Future Industries with Arjun Sethi, former CEO of Tribe Capital, and Mike LeBlanc, co-founder of Cobalt Robotics.
Earlier, there was information that the startup could receive investment from General Motors, but no confirmation of this was received.
It was then announced that the startup had sent two of its Phantom MK-1 robots to Ukraine for a pilot demonstration. The company called it the first known deployment of humanoid robots in combat. The tests, which were conducted in Ukraine, focused on logistics in dangerous areas.
According to Patak, tests of the MK-1 in Ukraine have already proven the robot’s potential for delivering ammunition to the front lines.
This year, the startup intends to send new and improved robots to Ukraine in the form of the next iteration — Phantom 2, which should double the load capacity of Phantom 1.
The Foundation expects its tests in Ukraine to influence future cooperation with the US military, although the startup has already received government research contracts totaling $24 million for testing.
As for Eric Trump’s role in the startup, he recently joined the company as its chief strategic advisor, and before that, it was known that Trump’s son was an investor in the firm before becoming its advisor.
As dev.ua reported, in March of this year, Ukraine received Phantom MK-1 humanoid robots for testing to evaluate their work on the front.
