Humanoid Robots

Venture Capital Funding by Year

Annual VC investment in humanoid robotics: $239M (2022) → $1.2B (2024) → $6.1B (2025).
Updated at 2026-05-05

Major Funding Rounds

Largest humanoid robot funding rounds: Figure AI ($1B+), Skild AI ($1.4B), Apptronik ($935M), Physical Intelligence ($600M).
CompanyDateRoundAmount RaisedPost-Money Val.Key InvestorsTotal Raised
ApptronikFeb 2026Series A Ext.$520M$5.5BGoogle, Mercedes, AT&T, John Deere, Qatar IA$935M
Skild AIJan 2026Series C$1.4B$14BSoftBank, NVentures, Macquarie, Bezos~$2B
Robot EraQ1 2026Series A+$145M$1.5BBeijing-based; investor list undisclosed in public filings~$200M+
Sunday RoboticsQ1 2026Series B$165MUndisclosedCoatue (lead)~$200M+
GalbotDec 2025Series B+$362M$3BChina Mobile, Tencent, Alibaba, Ant Group~$800M
Physical IntelligenceNov 2025Series B$600M$5.6BT. Rowe Price, Index Ventures~$1.07B
Figure AISep 2025Series C$1B+$39BMicrosoft, OpenAI, NVIDIA, Intel, Bezos, Salesforce$1.7B+
UnitreeJun 2025Series C~$96M$1.7BTencent, Ant Group, Alibaba, Geely~$248M
ApptronikFeb 2025Series A$415M$1.8BGoogle, Mercedes-Benz, B Capital$415M
Agility Robotics2025Growth round$400M (target)$1.75BNVentures, SoftBank~$641M
Fourier IntelligenceJan 2025Series E~$109M$1.1BGuoxin, Pudong VC, Prosperity7$246M
Physical IntelligenceNov 2024Series A$400M$2BCapitalG (Alphabet), Bezos, Thrive Capital, Lux$470M
Figure AIFeb 2024Series B$675M$2.6BMicrosoft ($95M), NVIDIA ($50M), Bezos ($100M), OpenAI, Intel, ARK$675M
UnitreeFeb 2024Series B$139M-Various$139M
1X TechnologiesJan 2024Series B$100M-EQT Ventures, OpenAI, Tiger Global, Samsung$125M+
1X TechnologiesMar 2023Series A$23.5M-OpenAI, Tiger Global$23.5M
Agility RoboticsApr 2022Series B$150M-DCVC, Playground, Amazon IIF$150M
Sanctuary AIVariousSeries A + Govt~$140M total-BDC Capital, Bell, Magna, Verizon Ventures~$140M
AgiBotVariousMultiple rounds~$84M disclosed>$1B (2026 IPO plan)Tencent, HongShan, Baidu, LG, BYD, Hillhouse~$84M+
Updated at 2026-05-05

Pilot Deployments and Commercial Sales

Cross-company view of where humanoids have actually deployed: 21 deployments spanning Pilot/RaaS, unit-sale, and internal-only models. Figure-BMW Spartanburg is the canonical milestone.
OperatorCustomerSiteYearUnitsStatusModelNotes
1X TechnologiesADT CommercialUS (multiple sites, security patrol)2023~100s (self-reported)Historical / uncertainPilot/RaaSEVE wheeled humanoid for nighttime patrol. Numbers self-reported by 1X; no independent verification or recent updates. Treat as historical.
Sanctuary AIMagna InternationalAustria (auto parts plant)20231Pilot activePilot/RaaSApr 2024 expanded to strategic partnership + Magna equity investment in Sanctuary.
Agility RoboticsGXO (Spanx)Flowery Branch, GA (Atlanta DC)2023 PoC → 2024 commercialNot disclosedCommercial RaaSPilot/RaaSIndustry's first commercial humanoid RaaS deal (Jun 2024). >100,000 totes moved at the site.
Agility RoboticsAmazonSumner, WA (BIL R&D)2023~6R&D (stuck)Pilot/RaaSTote handling pilot announced Oct 2023; no scaled production deployment in Amazon fulfillment centers despite Amazon being an investor.
Figure AIBMW ManufacturingSpartanburg, SC2024 (Jan announced)2 (Figure 02)Pilot completed Nov 2025Pilot/RaaSCanonical sector milestone: 11-month run, 90,000+ parts handled, 30,000+ X3 vehicles, 1,250 hours, ~99% placement accuracy.
ApptronikMercedes-BenzBerlin-Marienfelde + Kecskemét HU2024 (Mar)Single-digitPilot activePilot/RaaSMar 2025 Mercedes took equity stake in Apptronik (low double-digit millions USD).
Sanctuary AIUnnamed European OEMEurope (undisclosed)2024 (Apr)1Pilot activePilot/RaaSPhoenix Gen 7 unveil; customer name kept anonymous as 'European car manufacturer'.
UBTECHNioF2 plant (final assembly), China2024 (late)1+ (training)Pilot activePilot (Chinese training)Claimed world-first humanoid on auto QC line; Chinese-press primary source.
UBTECHBYD + Geely + Foxconn + SF ExpressVarious China plants2024-2025Not disclosed (Walker S1 training cohort)Pilot activePilot (Chinese training)Self-reported 'doubled efficiency in parts assembly' at BYD. Aggregate training across multiple sites.
ApptronikGXO LogisticsUndisclosed US DC (lab phase)2024Not disclosedPilot active (lab)Pilot/RaaSMulti-phase deployment; not yet in live distribution center.
ApptronikJabilFlorida (Jabil sites)2025 (Feb)Not disclosedPilot activePilot/RaaSApollo helps manufacture more Apollo units (robots-build-robots).
AgiBotInternal + BYD (investor) + various Chinese OEMsShanghai factory + first industrial deployment Jul 20252024-20255,168 shipped in 2025 (self-claim)Commercial sales (mostly R&D buyers)Unit-saleCompany claims #1 humanoid shipper globally; customers largely R&D buyers, not production deployments. Not third-party verified.
UBTECHAudi-FAW + FAW-VW + BAIC + Dongfeng LiuzhouVarious China plants2025Part of ~500 Walker S2 mass-production batchPilot active (training)Pilot (Chinese training)End-2025 order book RMB 800M (~$112M). First Audi production-line humanoid.
1X TechnologiesEarly-access home customersNorway + US homes2025Hundreds to thousands (self-claim)Pilot active (teleoperated, not autonomous)Consumer pilotNEO Beta home pilots; $20K + subscription. Teleop disclosure was a controversy in Q4 2025 trade press.
1X TechnologiesEQT portfolio (300+ industrial companies)Multi-site forward commitment2025 (Dec)Up to 10,000 by 2030AnnouncedForward commitmentLargest forward order to date in the humanoid sector; delivery 2026-2030.
Agility RoboticsMercado LibreSan Antonio, TX2025 (Dec)Not disclosedPilot activePilot/RaaSSecond named commercial customer for Agility; LatAm expansion planned.
GalbotBAIC + CATL (industrial); unnamed retailChina retail + factories2025'Thousands of industrial orders'; 'hundreds in retail' (self-claim)Commercial purchase (claimed)Unit-sale (claimed)Spring Festival Gala 2026 appearance. Numbers from Chinese-press; hard to verify independently.
Fourier IntelligenceMultiple Chinese rehab hospitalsChina (rehabilitation centers)2024-2025Not disclosedCommercial sale (clinical equipment)Unit-sale (healthcare)Different category: stroke/gait rehab equipment, not industrial deployment.
Unitree RoboticsOpen commercial (universities, research labs, dev kits)Global2023-20255 (2023) → 410 (2024) → ~5,500 (2025)Commercial saleUnit-saleLargest 2025 shipper by volume. H1 humanoid $90K, G1 humanoid $16K. Customers buy units outright; not pilot-based.
Tesla (reference)Tesla (internal)Fremont, CA + Giga Texas2024-2025Few hundred actual vs 5,000 targetPilot active (internal only)Internal-onlyBattery sorting, parts handling. Production ramp delayed; Optimus V3 expected 2026. Reference row only (out of sector scope).
Boston Dynamics / Hyundai (reference)Hyundai (HMGMA)Ellabell, GA (Metaplant America)2025 announced → Jan 2026 live testsFleet (size undisclosed)Pilot activeCaptive (Hyundai subsidiary)Atlas part-sequencing. Broader Hyundai purchase commitment is in tens of thousands. Reference row only (out of sector scope).
Updated at May 2026

Corporate Strategic Investors

Which tech giants and automakers are investing in humanoid robotics: NVIDIA, Microsoft, OpenAI, Amazon, Google, BMW, Mercedes, Hyundai.
InvestorCountryCompanies Invested InKnown AmountsStrategic Rationale
NVIDIA (NVentures)🇺🇸USAFigure AI, Skild AI, Agility Robotics$50M (Figure), $25M (Skild)GPU/compute infrastructure; Isaac GR00T platform; physical AI ecosystem
Microsoft🇺🇸USAFigure AI$95M+ (Series B); $1B+ (Series C participation)Azure cloud; OpenAI partnership; LLM integration for robots
OpenAI🇺🇸USAFigure AI, 1X TechnologiesUndisclosed (multiple rounds)AI foundation models for robotics; exploring own robot R&D
Google / Alphabet🇺🇸USAApptronik (CapitalG); Physical Intelligence (CapitalG)$350M+ (Apptronik)DeepMind Gemini Robotics; manufacturing automation
Amazon🇺🇸USAAgility Robotics, Figure AI$150M (Agility, via Industrial Innovation Fund)Warehouse automation; supply chain efficiency; $1B Innovation Fund
Jeff Bezos (Expeditions)🇺🇸USAFigure AI, Physical Intelligence, RIVR$100M (Figure); $400M+ (Physical Intelligence); $22M (RIVR)70% of 2024 investments in AI/robotics
SoftBank Vision Fund🇯🇵JapanFourier Intelligence, Agility, Skild AI$54.7M (Fourier); $1.4B (Skild Series C lead)$5.4B ABB Robotics acquisition; diversified robotics portfolio
Samsung🇰🇷South Korea1X Technologies, Rainbow Robotics, Skild AI35% stake in Rainbow RoboticsBattery tech; collaborative robot dev; Future Robotics Office
Hyundai / Kia🇰🇷South KoreaBoston Dynamics (subsidiary)Full acquisition ($880M, 2021); $26B US investmentManufacturing automation; 30K Atlas units/year target by 2028
BMW🇩🇪GermanyFigure AI (commercial partnership)No disclosed equity; commercial agreementFigure 02 deployed at Spartanburg; 90K+ parts loaded in pilot
Mercedes-Benz🇩🇪GermanyApptronikPart of $520M roundApollo testing at Berlin factory; target widespread use by 2030
John Deere🇺🇸USAApptronikPart of $520M roundAgricultural/industrial humanoid use cases
Intel Capital🇺🇸USAFigure AI$9M (2023); Series B & C participationSemiconductor supplier to robotics ecosystem
Tencent🇨🇳ChinaUnitree (Series C lead), AgiBot, UBTECHLead investor in Unitree Series CEmbodied AI strategy; Chinese humanoid ecosystem
Baidu🇨🇳ChinaAgiBot, Vita DynamicsMultiple rounds (undisclosed)AI model → robotics applications downstream play
BYD🇨🇳ChinaAgiBotCo-investorTesting humanoid robots in own EV factories; vertical integration
LG Electronics🇰🇷South KoreaAgiBotParticipation in funding roundsElectronics/manufacturing partnership
Qatar Investment AuthorityQatarApptronikPart of $520M roundSovereign wealth diversification into robotics
AT&T Ventures🇺🇸USAApptronikPart of $520M roundTelecom infrastructure for connected robotics
Updated at 2026-03-18

Market Size Forecasts by Analyst

16 analyst forecasts for the humanoid robot market: from $4B (Grand View, 2030) to $7T (Citi GPS, 2050). Sorted by 2035 estimate.
Firm2025203020352050CAGR
Investment Banks
Goldman Sachs (Blue Sky)$154B
Macquarie$139B
50%
Goldman Sachs$38B
Morgan Stanley$5T
Citi GPS$7T
Bank of America$17K BOM
Research Firms
ResearchAndMarkets$243.4B
49.2%
Future Market Insights$181.9B
37%
Roots Analysis$104B
47%
Yole Group$51B
55%
ABI Research$6.5B
138%
Grand View Research$1.81B$4.04B
17.5%
Mordor Intelligence
35.3%
BCC Research$11B
42.8%
Technavio
48.9%
Counterpoint Research16K units
69.7%
Updated at 2026-05-05

Unit Shipment Projections

How many humanoid robots analysts expect to ship per year, plotted on a log scale (each gridline is 10x the last, so massive ranges fit on one chart). Forecasts vary 10x. Goldman Sachs sees 1.4M units by 2035 vs Morgan Stanley's 13M.
Updated at 2026-05-05

Ask Sterling

Register for a premium account to gain access to Sterling AI.

Get Started

Things you can ask Sterling:

Summarize Tesla's latest earnings reportWhy did NVIDIA's margins expand?Compare Apple vs Microsoft's cash flowWhat's driving the EV sector growth?
Humanoid Robots - Market | Sterling