Applied Intuition
Data & simulation
Simulation, vehicle-OS and autonomy toolchain, now fronted by the Dana agentic platform for building physical AI.
Applied Intuition builds the software toolchain companies use to develop, validate and deploy autonomous and physically intelligent machines. The portfolio spans simulation and validation tools, a vehicle operating system, a self-driving system stack, and Dana — an agentic platform announced in July 2026 that makes the whole toolchain operable by AI agents. Customers are automotive, trucking, mining, agriculture and defence programmes: the company says its tools are used by 18 of the top 20 global automakers and by US Department of Defense programmes. Founded in 2017 by two Detroit-raised engineers, it raised a $600M Series F at a $15B valuation in 2025.
Research mapping
Physical AI / Sim-to-Real, Digital Twins & Validation (L9) / Data & simulation
Evidence boundary
Original analysis and independent corroboration remain under development. Commercial scale and durable technical advantage remain under review.
What makes it defensible
A decade of OEM-grade simulation, validation and vehicle-OS tooling now exposed to agents through one platform — the switching cost is the validated workflows already embedded in customer programmes.
Position in the stack: Tooling and OS layer between silicon/sensors and the finished machine: OEMs and defence programmes build on it, which puts Applied inside every programme's development loop rather than at the product layer.
Who buys it
Named customers: 18 of top 20 global automakers, US Department of Defense programs
Founding team
Qasar Younis — Co-founder & CEO — Former automotive engineer at GM and Bosch; Harvard MBA; founded TalkBin (acquired by Google); former COO of Y Combinator.
Peter Ludwig — Co-founder & CTO — Five years at Google leading Google Maps and Android Automotive; computer science degrees from the University of Michigan.
SourceFinancing detail
- Last round
- Series F
Investors: BlackRock, Kleiner Perkins, Franklin Templeton, Qatar Investment Authority, Abu Dhabi Investment Council, Premji Invest, Stripes, Greycroft, General Catalyst, Lux Capital, BOND, Elad Gil, Fidelity
Mapped funds and investors
Direct relationships supported by published evidence.
Reported holdings as-of
No sourced relationships mapped yet.
Disclosed investment history
No sourced relationships mapped yet.
Showing up to four relationships in each group. ETF weights describe the fund’s portfolio, not ownership of this company. Private investment history does not establish current ownership.