Deepen AI Raises Seed for 'Physical AI' Tech
Deepen AI, a startup leveraging Turkish technical talent, has secured a seed round led by Majlis Advisory. The capital will scale its sensor-fusion ground truth platform, a core enabling technology for validating data in robotics, autonomous vehicles, and smart infrastructure.
Founded by ex-Google engineers Mohammad Musa, Cheuksan Wang, and Anil Muthineni, Deepen AI provides critical data infrastructure for autonomous systems. The company's tools are designed to create "ground truth" data by accurately annotating and validating information from multiple sensors like LiDAR and cameras, a necessary step for training and ensuring the safety of any AI that perceives the physical world. The investment from Majlis Advisory, a firm rooted in connecting Gulf capital with global opportunities, signals a strategic push from Middle Eastern investors into the foundational layers of AI. While Majlis has a background in energy and traditional industry, this move into deeptech infrastructure aligns with regional goals of economic diversification and localizing advanced manufacturing and technology capabilities. This deal happens as the "Physical AI" market is projected to surge from approximately $5 billion in 2025 to over $68 billion by 2034. The growth is driven by the increasing automation in manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare, where AI-powered robots and systems need to interact safely and reliably with real-world environments. The emphasis on Turkish talent aligns with a major government push to build a deeptech ecosystem. As of early 2026, Turkey is offering significant incentives, including the "Türkiye Tech Visa" and tax exemptions that can lower the corporate tax on exported software and R&D profits to nearly zero for firms in designated Technoparks. This creates a powerful incentive for global startups to hire or establish engineering teams in the country. For VCs, this investment occurs within a complex Turkish macroeconomic environment. The central bank is navigating a disinflationary path, with the policy interest rate cut to 37% in February 2026, even as annual inflation remains over 30%. The government's 2026 priority is to support high-tech, high value-added investments, signaling a favorable policy environment for deeptech startups capable of weathering the current economic climate.
