TechCrunch Startup News Google Ventures doubles down on dev tool startup Blacksmith just 4 months after its seed round; also, Icarus raises $6.1M to take on space’s “warehouse work” with embodied-AI robots
Sep 17, 2025
In an AI-driven landscape, Blacksmith attracts attention with new funding from Google Ventures, just months after its seed round, focusing on expediting code deployment. Meanwhile, Icarus Robotics shares insights gained from interviewing astronauts, revealing that space work is often about cargo logistics. They’ve secured $6.1 million to develop embodied-AI robots for tackling these unique challenges, hinting at a future where robots and humans collaborate in zero gravity.
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Explosive Early Traction
- Blacksmith closed a $10M Series A just four months after a $3.5M seed, driven by rapid customer traction.
- The firm hit $1M ARR with four people and scaled to $3.5M ARR and 700+ customers in months.
Hardware Choice Drives CI Performance
- Blacksmith uses on-premises, gaming-grade CPUs to run CI workloads faster and cheaper than generic cloud servers.
- They claim up to 2x processing speed and as much as 75% lower compute costs by controlling hardware.
Switch Quickly With Minimal Code Change
- Switch a single line of code to start routing GitHub Actions through Blacksmith and begin shipping faster within minutes.
- Use on-prem hardware to improve margins as your customer base grows.