Russell AI Labs, a new platform dedicated to building and scaling frontier AI and technology companies, today announced its official launch alongside its first partnership with Emergence AI, a leading agentic AI company focused on enterprise applications. The move underscores a growing push to bring autonomous AI into mission-critical business operations.
From Vision to Enterprise-Grade AI
Russell AI Labs was co-founded by serial entrepreneur Austin Russell (Luminar Technologies), Markus Schaefer (CTO, Mercedes-Benz Group AG), and Murtaza Ahmed (former Partner, SoftBank Vision Fund). The platform combines deep operational expertise, strategic capital, and frontier technology know-how to help AI startups scale into global leaders.
“We’ve created a new kind of strategic and operating partner to help AI industry leaders realize their commercial and technical ambitions,” said Austin Russell. “I’m thrilled to be working alongside Emergence AI to drive their next phase of growth, moving from automating cars to automating enterprises.”
Emergence AI: Agentic AI at Scale
Emergence AI enables enterprises to deploy networked constellations of AI agents that automate complex workflows and compress tasks requiring hundreds of man-hours into minutes. The company focuses on two core challenges:
- Converting “dark” enterprise data (often 80% of all information) into intelligence-ready formats.
- Deploying AI constellations with built-in validation and explainability for accurate, transparent, and auditable automated decisions.
The partnership includes a $300 million stake from Russell AI Labs and positions Austin Russell as Executive Chairman of Emergence AI, accelerating commercialization and scaling the technology across Fortune 500 enterprises.
“Reliable AI starts with reliable data,” said Satya Nitta, CEO of Emergence AI. “Our partnership with Russell AI Labs will help us accelerate commercialization and bring us to even greater heights as we scale.”
Founding Leadership
- Austin Russell – Founder of Luminar Technologies, serial innovator in LiDAR and AI software, Thiel Fellow, and pioneer in advanced AI and mobility technologies.
- Markus Schaefer – CTO and Board Member of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, former COO of Daimler, and leader of Mercedes F1 team; expert in scaling complex global operations and software-defined vehicles.
- Murtaza Ahmed – Veteran investor and operator, former Managing Director at Goldman Sachs and Partner at SoftBank Vision Fund, specializing in global technology and emerging markets investments.
Why It Matters
The launch of Russell AI Labs signals a new model for enterprise AI adoption—combining strategic capital, operational expertise, and cutting-edge technology to make agentic AI practical, governed, and commercially viable. By focusing on data readiness, validation, and large-scale deployment, Emergence AI and Russell AI Labs aim to redefine how enterprises harness autonomous intelligence to drive efficiency, margins, and innovation.
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