O'Shaughnessy Ventures Backs Roboticist Teaching Robots to Read Social Cues

Victor Nikhil Antony receives an O'Shaughnessy Fellowship to deploy robots in classrooms and eldercare settings, using the data to train more socially aware machines

GREENWICH, Conn., July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- O'Shaughnessy Ventures LLC (OSV), an investment firm that empowers creators, has awarded an O'Shaughnessy Fellowship to Victor Nikhil Antony, a roboticist based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Antony will use the fellowship to build the social intelligence layer that robots need to function around people. Robots often perform well in the lab but struggle to read basic social cues once deployed in the real world. Antony is closing that gap by deploying robots that deliver support in everyday settings, generating behavioral interaction data no lab or dataset can replicate. His first deployment is a tabletop robot that helps children learn to read in Baltimore charter schools. His second deployment brings a robot into an eldercare setting to support cognitive health. Over the next 12 months, he aims to complete semester-long, teacher-run pilots showing measured reading gains, collect more than 500 hours of interaction data and finish a month-long paid eldercare deployment.

Antony is a Ph.D. candidate in computer science at Johns Hopkins University, where he has designed and open-sourced a suite of socially assistive robots used in real-world studies across education, health and wellbeing. He served as lead program chair for the 2026 HRI Pioneers workshop, supporting early-career researchers in human-robot interaction, and is a recipient of the Baltimore Innovation Initiative award. Previously, he earned a B.S. in computer science from the University of Rochester. At 14, he left traditional schooling for THINK Global School, a traveling boarding school, living and studying across 14 countries on five continents.

OSV's founder and CEO, Jim O'Shaughnessy, commented, "Robotics is one of the great frontiers of the next 20 years, and Victor is right at the edge of it. We're delighted to back him."

"An O'Shaughnessy Fellowship is a bet on work that takes years to prove," said Antony. "OSV's support will help me build the social intelligence that any robot interacting with people will need to be truly useful in the real world. I'm grateful for the trust the team has placed in my vision."

About the O'Shaughnessy Fellowships Program

Launched in 2023, the O'Shaughnessy Fellowships program discovers and empowers the world's boldest creatives, builders and researchers. Fellows receive a grant of up to $100,000 and gain access to OSV's network of founders, investors and experts. OSV will award up to 20 fellowships in 2026.

Antony is the fifteenth fellow announced in 2026. More information about previous fellows is available at OSV's website.

Applications for the O'Shaughnessy Fellowships are now closed and will reopen on Jan. 1, 2027. Individuals interested in applying can do so via OSV's website.

About O'Shaughnessy Ventures

OSV is a creative investment firm that empowers creators to bring their ideas to life. Founded by Jim O'Shaughnessy, a pioneer in quantitative investing, founder of O'Shaughnessy Asset Management, and author of five books, OSV aims to provide financial support and to partner in growing the next life-changing creative ideas.

OSV combines Jim's deeply rooted interest in all things art, science, investing and technology with his long-held desire to establish scenarios designed to help promising creators and their inspiring ideas succeed, regardless of age, location, job history or level of education. For more information, visit OSV's website.

Media Contact:
Ena Gong
O'Shaughnessy Ventures LLC
(917) 355-7420
[email protected] 

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SOURCE O'Shaughnessy Ventures