Foundation is a robotics company focused on developing advanced humanoid robots. Their flagship product, Phantom, is designed for strength and fluid motion, eliminating a 'robotic' feel for seamless integration into human environments. Phantom utilizes proprietary cycloid actuators for power, precision, and efficiency. The company is also involved in AI, hardware, and has a culture focused on tackling ambitious projects. They are actively hiring for various engineering and design roles, aiming to shape the future of technology, potentially for applications on Earth and in space.
Foundation is a robotics company focused on developing advanced humanoid robots. Their flagship product, Phantom, is designed for strength and fluid motion, eliminating a 'robotic' feel for seamless integration into human environments. Phantom utilizes proprietary cycloid actuators for power, precision, and efficiency. The company is also involved in AI, hardware, and has a culture focused on tackling ambitious projects. They are actively hiring for various engineering and design roles, aiming to shape the future of technology, potentially for applications on Earth and in space.
Company: Foundation (Foundation Future Industries, Inc.) — developer of general-purpose humanoid robots (product: Phantom)
Founded: May 2024
Headquarters: San Francisco, United States
Funding: Pre-seed $11M (reported), lead: Tribe Capital
Team size: Approximately 85 employees (reported)
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Company Overview
Problem Domain
Industrial and manufacturing automation; general-purpose physical robotics to address labor shortages
Founded
2024
Industry
DeepTech
Tech Stack
Proprietary cycloid actuators
Embodied AI / perception and autonomy
Funding Track Record
Pre-seed- 2024-08-22
$11 million
Reported participation from unnamed angel investors
Investor Signal
“Tribe Capital led pre-seed”
Founders
What we do
Join the Team
Electrical Engineer
HybridSan Francisco, CA, US
Hybrid • San Francisco, CA, US
About Us
Foundation is developing the future of general purpose robotics with the goal to address the labor shortage.
Our mission is to create advanced robots that can operate in complex environments, reducing human risk in conflict zones and enhancing efficiency in labor-intensive industries.
We are on the lookout for extraordinary engineers and scientists to join our team. Your previous experience in robotics isn't a prerequisite — it's your talent and determination that truly count.
We expect that many of our team members will bring diverse perspectives from various industries and fields. We are looking for individuals with a proven record of exceptional ability and a history of creating things that work.
Our Culture
We like to be frank and honest about who we are, so that people can decide for themselves if this is a culture they resonate with. Please read more about our culture here https://foundation.bot/culture.
Who should join:
You like working in person with a team in San Francisco.
You deeply believe that this is the most important mission for humanity and needs to happen yesterday.
You are highly technical - regardless of the role you are in. We are building technology; you need to understand technology well.
You care about aesthetics and design inside out. If it's not the best product ever, it bothers you, and you need to “fix” it.
You don't need someone to motivate you; you get things done.
Why We Are Hiring for This Role:
Own the end-to-end design of custom electronics for robotic systems, including schematics, layout, and BOM selection.
What Kind of Person We Are Looking For:
Benefits
We provide market standard benefits (health, vision, dental, 401k, etc.). Join us for the culture and the mission, not for the benefits.
Salary
The annual compensation is expected to be between $150,000 - $300,000. Exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and location.
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Lead integration of diverse sensors—IMUs, encoders, force/torque, vision, environmental, and custom sensing solutions.
Design and evaluate embedded and mixed-signal systems (MCUs, SoCs, FPGAs, power, comms, sensing).
Work closely with mechanical, firmware, and software teams to bring up complete robotic subsystems.
Develop and maintain low-level firmware to enable hardware bring-up, diagnostics, and early system functionality.
Collaborate with silicon partners to evaluate and integrate next-generation components (motor drivers, sensors, compute modules, radios).
Perform board bring-up, validation, and debugging using lab instrumentation and automated test setups.
Drive improvements in design for manufacturability (DFM), testability (DFT), and reliability.
Define hardware/firmware interfaces and support clean abstractions for higher-level software.
Support the transition from prototype to production with contract manufacturers and test engineers.
Stay current with emerging technologies in embedded electronics, sensing, power systems, and robotic platforms.
A proven track record designing embedded systems using MCUs, DSPs, or FPGAs in real-world, high-reliability products.
Deep experience integrating a wide range of sensors (IMUs, encoders, force/torque, vision, environmental, custom).
Strong system-level thinking: you understand how electronics, firmware, mechanics, and software interact in a robot.
The ability to write firmware in C/C++ (or similar) to bring up boards, configure peripherals, and make hardware usable.
Hands-on debugging skills with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, and JTAG/SWD tools.
Proficiency with ECAD tools such as Altium Designer, KiCad, or Cadence.
Solid fundamentals in signal integrity, power distribution, grounding, and thermal design.
Experience with motor control systems (BLDC, brushed, stepper) and power electronics is a strong plus.
Comfort working with early-stage silicon, datasheets, and incomplete documentation.
Experience with wireless systems (BLE, Wi-Fi, etc.) and secure hardware design is a plus.
Exposure to safety standards (IEC, ISO) and EMI/EMC compliance testing.
A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field—or equivalent practical experience.
