Robotics startups usually fail under the weight of custom hardware. Building specialized vehicles requires mechanical engineering, chassis fabrication, sensor integration, and low-level firmware before testing basic navigation algorithms. Polymath Robotics bypasses that entire sequence by building pure autonomy software delivered as a service for industrial and off-highway machinery.
Founded in 2021 and backed by Y Combinator's S22 cohort, the San Francisco company focuses strictly on vehicles that operate in closed, off-road environments—including agriculture, mining, defense, and manufacturing. Its autonomy engine handles core navigation tasks such as path planning, hazard detection, behavior trees, human detection, controls tuning, and safety stops without requiring customers to build their own navigation stacks from scratch.
The Hardware-Agnostic Autonomy Core
Instead of engineering bespoke trucks or tractors, Polymath builds a modular autonomy layer designed to integrate with existing equipment through hardware abstraction. In an interview on the Audrow Nash podcast, co-founder and CTO Ilia Baranov explained that the platform uses input abstraction layers for sensors like lidar, radar, and RTK GPS alongside output abstraction layers that interface with vehicle controls over socket CAN or third-party drive-by-wire retrofits.
By treating the underlying machine as an abstracted system, the company commands equipment through a standard REST API. A user can transmit target coordinates and heading angles while Polymath's onboard behavior engine manages safety limits, obstacle stops, and route execution.
To bridge the gap between simulation and field deployment, Polymath developed Caladan, a browser-based simulation tool reported by TechCrunch. Caladan allows engineers to test vehicle commands against virtual models before deploying the same code to physical equipment. On the machinery side, Polymath relies on integration partners rather than internal fabrication teams. For example, Equipment World reported that Polymath partnered with teleoperation and remote-control specialist Hard-Line to offer a plug-and-play retrofit kit that automates bulldozers for tasks like heap leaching and dewatering.
Veteran Autonomy Leadership
Polymath was founded by two robotics industry veterans with experience managing complex autonomous fleets:
- Stefan Seltz-Axmacher, Co-Founder and CEO, previously co-founded and led Starsky Robotics, an autonomous trucking startup that became the first to operate an unmanned truck on a public highway before closing in 2020.
- Ilia Baranov, Co-Founder and CTO, previously led engineering teams at Amazon working on the Astro home robot and served as an early engineer at Clearpath Robotics.
At a presentation delivered at RoboBusiness 2024, Baranov emphasized that avoiding in-house hardware development allows Polymath to maintain a ratio of more than one deployed robot per engineer, scaling software across wheel loaders, haul trucks, excavators, and tractors while keeping team headcount low.
Scaling Vehicle Bringup and Customer Deployments
Polymath is expanding its San Francisco technical team to support multi-vehicle deployments across commercial and industrial sites. The company is currently hiring five onsite positions spanning field execution, systems verification, and enterprise accounts.
On the technical deployment front, the company is recruiting an Applications Engineer - San Francisco ($113,000 - $150,000) to own vehicle bringup end-to-end across simulation, bench, and on-vehicle phases for industrial off-road machines like wheel loaders, haul trucks, and excavators. The position involves traveling for client sales meetings and delivering onsite technical support. Working directly in the field alongside safety drivers, the Autonomous Vehicle Test Specialist – San Francisco ($70,000 - $100,000) executes structured test protocols on physical vehicles and travels to customer locations for trials.
To evaluate platform readiness before field trials, the Senior Verification & Validation (V&V) Engineer - San Francisco ($150,000 - $200,000) leads system qualification across simulation, lab, and physical machinery in mining, defense, and agriculture, establishing acceptance criteria and authoring Integrator Acceptance Tests for every delivered machine.
Program delivery is managed by the Associate, Customer Program Management ($100,000 - $125,000), who oversees four to six active customer programs simultaneously across agriculture and defense while coordinating field-testing logistics. Commercial growth is driven by an Account Executive ($125,000 - $250,000) tasked with closing enterprise deals with industrial operators automating machinery in mining, agriculture, manufacturing, and defense.
Open Roles at Polymath Robotics
| Role | Location | Work Mode | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applications Engineer - San Francisco | San Francisco, CA, US | Onsite | $113,000 – $150,000 |
| Autonomous Vehicle Test Specialist – San Francisco | San Francisco, CA, US | Onsite | $70,000 – $100,000 |
| Account Executive | San Francisco, CA, US | Onsite | $125,000 – $250,000 |
| Senior Verification & Validation (V&V) Engineer - San Francisco | San Francisco, CA, US | Onsite | $150,000 – $200,000 |
| Associate, Customer Program Management | San Francisco, CA, US | Onsite | $100,000 – $125,000 |
