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Salem Robotics Inc launch: what they're building and where to launch next

What they're building

Deploying robots for inspections in hazardous spaces, like nuclear.

Batch
Y Combinator Summer 2026
Industry
Industrials
Team size
2
Based
Austin, TX, USA
Raised (Form D)
$1.82M
Form D filed
2026-09-08
State
TEXAS
Industry group
Other Technology

Founders

salemroboticsinc.com ↗

See their funding details ↗

See their Form D filing ↗

Salem Robotics Inc on the record

What they shipped

  • From its YC profile: Our software turns any robot we deploy into an everyday independent worker at your facility. They are able to walk sites, handle instruments, overcome obstacles, collect measurements, and generate auditable compliance records, replacing hours of mandatory manual surveys and inspections. Built by Los Alamos robotics veterans and deterministic-manipulation researchers, we're starting in nuclear and expanding to other hazardous industries. (source)
  • Its own site describes it as: "Salem Robotics enables hazardous industrial facilities to automate routine inspections, data collection, and reporting using the robotic systems they already deploy." (source)

Who is behind it

  • Caleb Horan, Founder/CEO: Co-founder and CEO at Salem Robotics. Previously a published robotics PhD student at UT Austin, developing task planning for autonomous systems. NRC Fellow. Deployed multi-robot teams at Los Alamos National Laboratory's Plutonium Division. MS in Robotics from UT Austin. (source)
  • Janak (Crasun) Panthi, Founder/CTO: Co-founder and CTO at Salem Robotics Inc. PhD in Robotics from UT Austin (Dec. 2026). 6 yrs industry experience leading product development and deploying quadruped robots in nuclear facilities. US Army. (source)
  • Caleb Horan: executive officer and director named in the Form D. (source)
  • Janak Panthi: executive officer and director named in the Form D. (source)

Funding on file

  • The Form D filed on 2026-09-08 reports a $5,100,000 offering, $1,819,500 sold, $3,280,500 remaining, from 5 investors so far, all accredited. (source)
  • Terms in the filing: securities offered: simple agreement for future equity; exemption claimed: Rule 506(b); offering expected to last more than a year: no. (source)
  • Issuer: Corporation organised in Delaware, incorporated in 2024; principal office listed in Austin, Texas; revenue range: decline to disclose. (source)

Timeline

  1. 2026: founded, per its YC profile. (source)
  2. 2026-05-13: first sale in the offering, per the Form D. (source)
  3. 2026-09-08: Form D filed with the SEC ($1.82M sold). (source)

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Where else to launch Salem Robotics Inc

  • Indie Hackers Forum ↗
    Self-promotion allowed
    Audience: IndieHackers; bootstrapped solo founders sharing revenue and behind-the-scenes
  • BetaList ↗
    Self-promotion allowedPaid
    Audience: Directory listing surface; cold readers scanning categories
  • CoFoundersLab ↗
    Self-promotion allowed
    Audience: Directory listing surface; cold readers scanning categories
  • Hacker News (Show HN) ↗
    Self-promotion allowed, within the community's rules
    Audience: Hacker News readers; engineers, technical founders, infra-curious people
  • Invincible Product Hunters (Global) ↗
    Self-promotion allowed, within the community's rules
    Audience: Telegram channel readers; URL-first, attention-light
  • Launching Next ↗
    Self-promotion allowedFree, with paid options
    Audience: Directory listing surface; cold readers scanning categories
  • LaunchPedia ↗
    Self-promotion allowed
    Audience: Directory listing surface; cold readers scanning categories
  • MicroLaunch ↗
    Self-promotion allowedFree, with paid options
    Audience: Directory listing surface; cold readers scanning categories

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Featured on FoxPlug: Salem Robotics Inc