Deploy Neil Nie
| Neil Nie | |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, engineer, researcher |
|---|---|
| Known for | Co-founder and CEO of Verne Robotics |
Neil Nie is an American technology entrepreneur, engineer, and researcher who is the co-founder and CEO of Verne Robotics, a company that develops artificial intelligence models for controlling robotic arms. The company was part of Y Combinator's Summer 2025 batch.[1]
Career
Nie's background spans both academic research and industry experience in computer vision, machine learning, and robotics. He conducted graduate research at Stanford University's Vision and Learning Lab and at Columbia University under professor Shuran Song. During his academic career, he also completed multiple internships at Apple focused on computer vision and machine learning, with work involving generative AI and novel view synthesis.[2]
Nie co-founded Verne Robotics and serves as its CEO, leading both product development and technical direction. The company builds AI models that enable robot arms to learn new manipulation skills in a matter of hours, rather than the significantly longer timelines traditionally required for programming industrial robots. Verne Robotics operates on a pay-by-the-hour business model, offering businesses an accessible way to automate back-of-house tasks without large upfront capital expenditures.[3]
According to the company's description, Verne Robotics' customers include a biotech unicorn, a leading biotech non-profit, and a direct-to-consumer apparel brand. The company's approach is centered on reducing the cost and complexity of deploying robotic automation by using AI to rapidly train robots for new tasks, helping businesses cut operational costs.[4]
The company is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and was active as of its participation in Y Combinator's Summer 2025 cohort.
References
- ↑ "Verne Robotics – Y Combinator". 'Y Combinator}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ↑ "Neil Nie – Prog.AI". 'Prog.AI}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ↑ "Verne Robotics". 'Verne Robotics}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
- ↑ "Verne Robotics – Y Combinator". 'Y Combinator}'. Retrieved 2026-03-19.