The Data Layer for the Robot Economy

Encord is building the AI-native data infrastructure for physical AI and robotics, helping the world's top AI teams create, manage, annotate, and evaluate the data that goes into their models. The company just announced a $60 million Series C led by Wellington Management. In this episode of Founder Firesides, co-founders Eric and Ulrik sat down with YC's Nicolas Dessaigne to talk about building a data infrastructure company before ChatGPT made AI a hot category, why physical AI is the next frontier but needs a fundamentally different approach to data than LLMs, and how they're opening an R&D facility in the Bay Area where robotics companies can bring their own hardware and collect the training data they need to get to market.

Nicolas DessaignehostUlrik WaageguestEric Landauguest

Apr 30, 202618mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: April 30, 2026
Duration: 18m
Channel: YC Root Access
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Encord is building the AI-native data infrastructure for physical AI and robotics, helping the world's top AI teams create, manage, annotate, and evaluate the data that goes into their models. The company just announced a $60 million Series C led by Wellington Management. In this episode of Founder Firesides, co-founders Eric and Ulrik sat down with YC's Nicolas Dessaigne to talk about building a data infrastructure company before ChatGPT made AI a hot category, why physical AI is the next frontier but needs a fundamentally different approach to data than LLMs, and how they're opening an R&D facility in the Bay Area where robotics companies can bring their own hardware and collect the training data they need to get to market.

SPEAKERS

Nicolas Dessaigne
host
Partner at Y Combinator and host of YC Root Access.
Ulrik Waage
guest
Co-founder of Encord, working on data infrastructure for physical AI/robotics.
Eric Landau
guest
Co-founder (and CEO) of Encord, focused on scaling data infrastructure for physical AI and robotics.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of YC Root Access, featuring Nicolas Dessaigne and Ulrik Waage, The Data Layer for the Robot Economy explores encord’s bet: physical AI progress hinges on better data pipelines Encord positions itself as an AI-native “universal data layer” that helps physical AI teams ensure the right data enters model training and the wrong data stays out.

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