Hard Things: Hardware Is Hot Again. Bet on the Boring Machine. 

For 20 years, the smart money avoided hardware. It cost too much and moved too slowly. Now hardware is in fashion again, and that is exactly when a lawyer starts reading the fine print.

That tension drove the fifth Hard Things evening, which Foley & Lardner and Mavka Capital hosted on Nov. 2 at Helm.AI’s offices. Helm.AI was the right room for this conversation. Founded in 2016 by CEO Vladislav Voroninski, it has become one of the leading physical AI companies, building the software that helps cars drive themselves. Its approach trains driving models on huge amounts of data without armies of human labelers or a giant test fleet. Honda is both a partner and an investor, with Helm-powered driver-assist systems slated for Honda models around 2027. Our thanks to Vlad and the Helm.AI team for opening their doors. Nearly 150 people signed up. Most were early-stage founders building physical AI, from robot training data to exoskeletons to counter-drone systems. Seed investors, family offices and corporate venture teams from heavy-equipment and automotive companies joined them, with guests from as far as Finland, Sweden and Singapore.

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