Most people know VLC Media Player as the free video player with the iconic orange traffic-cone logo. Now, its lead developer, Jean-Baptiste Kempf, is building technology for a very different future: one filled with robots, drones, and AI-powered machines.
Kempf’s startup, Kyber, has raised $5 million in funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners to develop software that enables real-time control of remote devices.
The Paris-based company is building an infrastructure layer that synchronises video, audio, sensor data, and control inputs with minimal latency. The goal is to make it easier to operate , drones, and other connected devices from anywhere in the world.
According to Kempf, the platform is designed for situations where the operator, computing resources, and physical device are all located in different places.
“If you control things in the real world, every millisecond matters,” he said.
The technology draws heavily from video-streaming expertise, an area where Kempf built his reputation through VLC and later as chief technology officer at cloud gaming company Shadow. Kyber originally began as a side project focused on reducing lag in remote interactions.
The rise of physical AI has increased interest in such technology. Venture capital firms and technology companies are increasingly investing in robotics systems that can perform real-world tasks autonomously, but these systems still require fast and reliable infrastructure to function effectively.
Kyber believes its software can support everything from remote IT management and software updates to large-scale fleets of robots and drones. The company argues that existing solutions were often built for specific industries and are difficult to scale.
The startup currently employs 25 people across offices in Paris, San Francisco, and Singapore. It says its technology is already being used by customers in sectors including defence, telecommunications, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
Unlike many enterprise software companies, Kyber is also embracing an open-source approach. The core technology remains open source, while the company generates revenue through enterprise products and customised deployments.
