Flywheel AI retrofits existing excavators for remote teleoperation and uses the data collected to train autonomous control systems, an approach it brands as 'Waymo for excavators.' The company addresses construction-industry challenges including operator shortages, safety hazards, and operational inefficiency by letting contractors run machines remotely while building robotics datasets for autonomy. Flywheel was co-founded by Jash Mota, who previously built remote teleoperation tools, and Mahimana Bhatt, a former ML pipeline lead at Motional. The company participated in Y Combinator's Summer 2025 batch.
Flywheel AI
ActiveWaymo for excavators
Total raised
$500K
1 round
Stage
Seed
Jan 2025
Team
1-10
since 2025
Pricing
—
Founded
2025
San Francisco, United States
Agent-ready
—
Retrofit kit that enables remote teleoperation of existing excavators
Remote operation interface so operators can run machines off-site
Data collection from teleoperated machines to train autonomy
Autonomous control systems trained on accumulated operation data
Approach branded as 'Waymo for excavators' for construction autonomy
Targets operator shortages by widening the pool of remote operators
Safety improvements by removing operators from hazardous job sites
Works with contractors' existing excavator fleets rather than new machines
12/100
Early
MCP server
Public API
Webhooks
OAuth 2.0
SDKs
No public agent surfaces detected yet.
Jan 2025 Seed $500K ● Y Combinator
Capital network
$500K raised ·1 backer·10 network links
- Backers1
- Shared portfoliocompanies these backers also fund
- Extended networkfunds that co-invest alongside them
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- What does Flywheel AI do?
- Flywheel AI retrofits existing excavators for remote teleoperation and uses the collected data to train autonomous control systems, branding itself 'Waymo for excavators.'
- Do I need new machines to use Flywheel?
- No. The approach is built around retrofitting contractors' existing excavators rather than requiring purpose-built autonomous equipment.
- How does it improve safety?
- By letting operators run machines remotely, Flywheel removes them from hazardous job sites while addressing operator shortages and inefficiency.
- Who founded Flywheel AI?
- It was co-founded by Jash Mota, who previously built remote teleoperation tools, and Mahimana Bhatt, a former ML pipeline lead at Motional. It participated in Y Combinator's Summer 2025 batch.
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