BrightAI, a company specializing in integrating AI into physical infrastructure, has raised $51 million in Series A funding, co-led by Khosla Ventures and Inspired Capital. With previous funding from Upfront Ventures, BrightAI’s total funding now stands at $78 million.
Critical infrastructure, such as power grids and water pipelines, is often overlooked despite rapid advancements in AI. Aging assets and climate change threaten these systems, leading to significant issues: pipeline leaks waste over 6 billion gallons of water daily, power outages cost the economy more than $150 billion annually, and equipment failures cause an additional $50 billion in downtime.
Founded in 2019 by CEO Alex Hawkinson, BrightAI utilizes its Stateful platform to replace traditional inspections and maintenance, allowing field teams to predict and prevent failures. The company provides true observability by utilizing data from billions of signals to deliver real-time insights. With deployments in over 50,000 locations, BrightAI enables proactive maintenance through the use of sensors, drones, and wearables.
This approach enhances productivity, service quality, and worker safety, generating over $100 million in revenue across sectors such as power, water, and manufacturing. With its recent funding and plans for a new headquarters in San Francisco, BrightAI aims to expand into new markets and improve the management of critical systems.
KEY QUOTES:
“AI will not only transform the digital world but our physical world as well. BrightAI is using AI to monitor and maintain aging infrastructure, from power grids to pipelines and more, securing key assets for our future.”
Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures
“BrightAI has solved a problem that’s lingered for decades—manual, reactive maintenance that leaves operators blind until critical failures occur. By deploying intelligent systems that can see, interpret, and act in real time, BrightAI brings the clarity and control these industries have long needed. This is real, high-impact innovation—built for the physical world.”
Alexa von Tobel, Managing Partner at Inspired Capital
“For decades, the physical world has lacked real-time awareness—teams have been forced to operate reactively, without the visibility they need. We designed BrightAI to close that gap by continuously capturing and translating real-world signals into actionable intelligence. When you can truly observe what’s happening, you can get ahead of problems rather than chase them. That shift isn’t incremental—it’s foundational. And with the backing of Khosla Ventures and Inspired Capital, we’re scaling that transformation across the essential services that the world depends on.”
Alex Hawkinson, Founder and CEO of BrightAI
