RealSense, a company long associated with Intel’s cutting-edge visual sensing technology, has officially completed its spin-out and raised $50 million in Series A funding. Led by Intel Capital and joined by the MediaTek Innovation Fund and other strategic backers, this move marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of AI-driven perception systems.

For years, RealSense was a powerhouse inside Intel, providing 3D depth-sensing technologies used in autonomous mobile robots, biometrics, and industrial automation. Now operating as an independent entity, RealSense is free to scale on its own terms - bringing sharper focus, faster innovation, and global commercial agility to an already dominant platform.

From Intel Incubation to Standalone Industry Leader

Headquartered in Santa Clara, RealSense has shipped products to over 3,000 customers globally, powering more than 60% of the world’s mobile robotics and humanoid platforms. Its stereo depth cameras and Vision SoCs are used in applications ranging from warehouse automation and security to healthcare and smart city infrastructure.

Freed from the corporate structure of Intel, RealSense can now aggressively expand its team, manufacturing capacity, and product roadmap. The company aims to double its headcount, enhance R&D for embedded edge-AI, and deepen distribution partnerships across North America, Europe, and Asia.

RealSense's Shift from Feature to Infrastructure

What’s striking about RealSense’s trajectory is how it redefined its role in the ecosystem. While originally built as a component supplier, the company evolved into an infrastructure player, providing critical perception systems for physical AI. It’s not just enabling machines to see - it’s empowering them to understand and adapt in real-time.

And this is where the real takeaway for founders comes in.

Inside RealSense’s journey lies a playbook founders often overlook: Don’t just build features - build foundations. When the company asked, “What if cameras weren’t just tools for recording depth, but engines for real-time environmental intelligence?”, they stopped selling a product and started shaping the industry. The real inflection point came not from a technical leap, but a strategic one: treating vision as a platform layer for robotics and automation.

Founders in any category - AI, fintech, climate, or health - should take note. Often, the market doesn’t need another feature. It needs a rethink of the value chain. Ask: what if the “small thing” your product does is actually the future backbone of a system? That framing alone can unlock not just investor confidence - but entire market categories. RealSense didn’t invent depth vision. It redefined what it meant in the age of edge intelligence.

Massive Applications Across Robotics, Biometrics, and More

Already, RealSense technology is embedded in a broad range of real-world systems: robot dogs navigating disaster zones, smart cameras monitoring industrial safety, biometric terminals in airports, and patient-facing healthcare interfaces. The company’s flagship product, the D555 PoE, integrates depth vision, edge AI processing, and Power over Ethernet - enabling plug-and-play deployment in mission-critical environments.

Its customer base includes Unitree, Eyesynth, Fit:Match, and others building the next generation of intelligent machines. As demand for smart automation surges, RealSense is positioned as the de facto standard for embedded spatial understanding.

Led by Intel Veteran Nadav Orbach

RealSense is now led by Nadav Orbach, who previously headed visual sensing at Intel. His transition to CEO signals strategic continuity, paired with fresh independence. Orbach’s global team - now at over 130 employees - spans R&D hubs in the U.S., Israel, and Asia-Pacific. The company plans to scale aggressively, recruiting top AI talent and solidifying its global supply chain.

With Intel maintaining a strategic stake and MediaTek joining the cap table, RealSense’s independence is backed by partners with deep industry and manufacturing experience.

Why This Matters for the AI Hardware Ecosystem

RealSense’s spinout is more than a corporate reshuffle - it’s a bet on the future of physical AI. As large language models dominate headlines, real-world AI - robots, drones, industrial systems - requires something different: vision, precision, and real-time situational awareness. This is the infrastructure RealSense provides.

By making vision intelligent and scalable, RealSense enables machines to do what humans have always done instinctively - navigate space, assess risk, and act with context. That’s not just the future of robotics; it’s the foundation of trustworthy autonomy.

As AI moves off the screen and into the world, RealSense is one of the few companies capable of powering that transition. And with $50 million in new funding and complete operational independence, it’s doing it on its own terms.