Top-Funded Humanoid Robot Startups

Top-funded humanoid robot startups span across the globe, from the U.S. and Norway to China and Canada, showcasing a broad range of innovations aimed at transforming industries like manufacturing, logistics, and even household tasks. What sets these companies apart is their focus on tackling labor shortages, improving productivity, and creating general-purpose robots that can seamlessly integrate into human environments. Startups like Figure Robotics and Agility Robotics are revolutionizing logistics with AI-powered humanoids, while companies such as 1X and Zhiyuan Robotics are focusing on household and industrial applications. Despite different geographies, the common thread among these ventures is their drive to automate monotonous and labor-intensive tasks, aiming to reshape the future of work and daily life through human-like robots.

Partnerships

In April 2024, Agility Robotics announced a partnership with Manhattan Associates, a global leader in supply chain commerce, to integrate Agility’s bipedal robot Digit and its cloud automation platform, Agility Arc, with Manhattan’s Warehouse Management System. This collaboration aims to enhance warehouse workflows by incorporating advanced robotics technology. In May, Agility Robotics announced another partnership with Zion Solutions Group, a leading systems integrator in the supply chain industry. This collaboration focuses on integrating Agility’s humanoid robot, Digit, and its cloud automation platform, Agility Arc, into Zion’s warehouse solutions to connect isolated manual and automated workflows. The partnership aims to address labor shortages and high turnover rates by testing the effectiveness of humanoid robotics in performing monotonous and challenging logistics tasks, ultimately enhancing efficiency and safety in warehouse operations.

3. Zhiyuan Robotics (China)

Zhiyuan Robotics, based in Shanghai, China, develops general-purpose humanoid robots and embodied intelligence systems. The company recently raised $85 million from investors including BYD Company, CAS Star, CDH Investments, Co-Stone Venture Capital and Hillhouse Ventures. Operating in the AI, manufacturing and robotics sectors, Zhiyuan Robotics’ main product is the AGIBOT Raise A1. Launched in 2023, this humanoid robot is 175 cm tall, weighs 55 kg, and walks at 7 km/h, according to the company website. The company aims to deploy its robots for household assistance, warehouse logistics, research, and education. This suggests Zhiyuan Robotics is targeting both consumer and industrial markets.