1X struck a deal to send its ‘home’ humanoids to factories and warehouses

This deal involves shipping up to 10,000 1X Neo humanoid robots between 2026 and 2030 to EQT’s more than 300 portfolio companies with a concentration on manufacturing, warehousing, logistics and other industrial use cases.

1X will sign individual deals with each of EQT’s interested portfolio companies, 1X confirmed to TechCrunch. # 1X struck a deal to send its ‘home’ humanoids to factories and warehouses

Rebecca Szkutak

1X found some big potential buyers for its humanoid robots designed for consumers — the portfolio companies of one of its investors.

The robotics company announced a strategic partnership to make thousands of its humanoid robots available for EQT’s portfolio companies on Thursday. EQT is a large Swedish multi-asset investor, and its venture fund EQT Ventures, is one of 1X’s backers. Humanoids also come with potential safety issues around pets and small children due to their size and instability. Multiple VCs and scientists in the robotics field told TechCrunch this summer that humanoid adoption wouldn’t be for multiple years if not a decade away.

The company declined to share how many pre-orders it received for its Neo bot but a spokesperson said pre-orders “far exceeded” the company’s goal.