Latest news with #Unitree
South China Morning Post
20 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Unitree Robotics reaches unicorn status with ByteDance, Alibaba, Tencent funding
Unitree Robotics , a leading player in China's booming robotics industry, has completed a new round of financing, attracting investment from some of the country's biggest tech companies amid excitement surrounding this sector. The Hangzhou-based company, founded by Wang Xingxing , was valued at over 10 billion yuan (US$1.3 billion), according to investors and local media reports. Notable backers in the latest funding round included ByteDance-affiliated Jinqiu Capital, Alibaba Group Holding and affiliate Ant Group, Tencent Holdings, China Mobile and carmaker Geely Group. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. Jinqiu partner Zang Tianyu said in a statement that Unitree was the world's top producer of quadruped and humanoid robots. He stressed that the start-up had the potential to lead advances in humanoid robotics, leveraging its extensive expertise across hardware and software. 10:41 How Hangzhou's 'Six Little Dragons' built a new Chinese tech hub How Hangzhou's 'Six Little Dragons' built a new Chinese tech hub Unitree gained national fame when its humanoid robots showcased their dancing skills at the annual Lunar New Year's Eve gala on China Central Television. Wang, 35, has become a prominent figure among China's new generation of entrepreneurs after attending a high-profile symposium hosted by President Xi Jinping in February.
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
China's Robot Maker Unitree Valued At $1.7 Billion In Series C Round
A Unitree humanoid robot performs Thursday, the first day of the Mobile World Conference in Shanghai. Unitree Robotics, a Hangzhou-based maker of humanoid robots whose founder recently met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, completed series C funding this month that values the company at 12 billion yuan ($1.7 billion), according to people with knowledge of the matter. As investors, the company attracted Chinese auto maker Geely Automobile, fintech giant Ant Group and investment firm HongShan Capital Group (formerly known as Sequoia Capital China), people familiar with the matter told Forbes Asia. The valuation of 12 billion yuan was confirmed by two investors who participated in the deal but requested anonymity. A Unitree representative confirmed the company completed the series C funding but said it had no further information to provide. Chinese media Late Post reported the deal first Thursday, saying that Unitree raised an undisclosed amount from investors that also included tech giant Tencent, e-commerce behemoth Alibaba and a fund affiliated with the state-run telecommunications giant China Mobile at a valuation of 'over 10 billion yuan.' Founded in 2016, the company is now at the forefront of China's robotics industry. Its 35-year-old founder Wang Xingxing, who is CEO and CTO, landed in February a coveted front-row seat at a meeting with Chinese President Xi. That meeting in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing also included Alibaba cofounder Jack Ma, Tencent Chairman Ma Huateng and DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng. Xi held the meeting to send a message of support to China's private sector amid a plethora of economic challenges. Seated in the first row in front of Xi was Unitree's Wang, who later shook hands with the president. The bespectacled young entrepreneur is helping China's development of humanoid robots, an emerging industry the country is keen to dominate as it vies for tech supremacy with the U.S. Unitree has developed products including a series of robot dogs that start from $1,600 and humanoid models priced from $16,000, according to its website. That compares with the $20,000 to $30,000 Tesla intends to charge for each of its Optimus humanoid products. The bipedal product from the American electric vehicle pioneer can walk, dance and perform household chores such as cooking, cleaning up tables and dumping trash, according to video clips posted on its X social media account. Unitree's humanoids are shown performing similar tasks on clips posted on its website. They shot to national fame in China when the robots danced alongside real people during a performance at January's 2025 Spring Festival Gala. A huge audience watched the performance as China celebrated the start of the Year of the Snake. Unitree's humanoid robots have also participated in marathons and battled real fighters in boxing competitions. The Unitree representative says the company controls over two thirds of the global market for quadruped robotics dogs and leads worldwide sales of humanoid robots. However, the representative declines to provide specific sales figures. Founder Wang has traced his interest in robots to at least 2013. The young entrepreneur was pursuing a graduate degree in mechanical engineering at Shanghai University when he designed XDog, a quadruped robot that helped him win second prize in a local competition. Wang briefly worked for Chinese drone maker DJI before founding Unitree in 2016. In 2017, he raised an undisclosed amount in seed funding before progressing to complete a series B round last year. At the time, his company raised at at least 1 billion yuan from investors including Chinese food-delivery giant Meituan, investment firm Source Code Capital and the state-affiliated Shenzhen Capital Group, according to the Qichacha local regulatory filing system.
Cision Canada
4 days ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
VivaTech 2025: A record-setting edition with 180,000 visitors
14,000 startups 171 nationalities gathered at Porte de Versailles AI takes center stage with over 40% of exhibitors 640,000 business connections generated PARIS, June 17, 2025 /CNW/ -- VIVATECH IS ABOUT INNOVATION VivaTech 2025 was marked by more than 300 major announcements and launches, with artificial intelligence driving transformation across all industries. On the AI Avenue, startups like Unitree, Buddyo, Vrai AI, and Next showcased concrete AI applications across diverse sectors. Key highlights included the launch of Mistral Compute, a sovereign AI infrastructure designed for Europe, and NVIDIA's first-ever GTC Paris, hosted at VivaTech. VIVATECH IS ABOUT ENTREPRENEURSHIP More than 14,000 startups took part in the event, generating hundreds of thousands of business connections across 30+ industries. Over 3,600 international investors joined the show to discover the next unicorns and help scale the most promising innovations worldwide. VIVATECH IS ABOUT INSPIRATION This year's edition featured over 450 speakers, including Jensen Huang (NVIDIA), Arthur Mensch (Mistral AI), Emmanuel Macron, Joe Tsai (Alibaba), Yann Le Cun (Meta), Sarah Friar (OpenAI), Thomas Wolf (Hugging Face), Mike Krieger (Anthropic), Pascal Gauthier (Ledger), Nobel Laureate Alain Aspect, Fidji Simo (Instacart), Maya Rogers (Tetris), Cliff Obrecht (Canva), and Clara Chappaz, French Minister for AI and Digital Affairs. VIVATECH IS ABOUT GLOBAL COOPERATION With 171 nationalities and more than 120 countries represented, VivaTech once again proved its global dimension. Over 50 national pavilions were present, a 20% increase compared to 2024. Delegations from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia enriched the event's diversity, with strong representation from Africa and the European tech ecosystem. VIVATECH IS ABOUT IMPACT AND INCLUSION The first Global Awards Ceremony, held in partnership with TechCrunch, celebrated game-changing impact initiatives. The Female Founder Challenge honored Hélène Briand (Verley). The Tech for Change Award was presented to Genesis for its work on soil health. The AfricaTech Awards highlighted three standout startups, with taking the top prize. The Impact Bridge, powered by EDF, featured 1,500 m² of sustainable innovation showcases.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Unitree Robotics boosts capital base, paving the way for new fundraising round
Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics, a rising star in China's booming robotics industry, has increased its registered capital from 2.6 million yuan to 2.9 million yuan (US$400,000), a move that could signal preparations for a new fundraising round. The company fuelled speculation about a potential initial public offering (IPO) in May when it transitioned from a limited liability company to a joint-stock company. According to Chinese corporate database Tianyancha, this restructuring allowed Unitree to raise more capital as its operations continued to grow. Unitree has garnered significant attention, becoming a poster child for China's dynamic robotics sector. The company achieved nationwide fame after its H1 robots captivated audiences with a dancing performance at the country's televised Lunar New Year evening gala. In February, Unitree founder and CEO Wang Xingxing was one of the Chinese tech entrepreneurs invited to a high-profile symposium hosted by President Xi Jinping. Wang Xingxing, CEO of Unitree Robotics, poses with the company's H1 humanoids that danced at the Lunar New Year evening gala. Photo: Handout While Unitree has not yet formally disclosed any listing plans, Chinese digital media outlet Sohu Tech reported this month, citing sources, that the start-up could be valued between 10 billion yuan and 15 billion yuan in a pre-IPO financing round. The confirmed capital base increase is likely a preliminary step towards such a larger funding round. Unitree's last financing round in September attracted significant investment from entities like Beijing Robotics Industry Development Investment Fund, Meituan, and HongShan, valuing the company at 8 billion yuan at that time. Unitree is recognised as one of Hangzhou's Six Little Dragons, alongside China's artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek. During a visit by Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to Hangzhou in April, founder Wang indicated that a listing in Hong Kong was a possibility and that Unitree was actively expanding into the global market and had established a business base in the city.
Fox News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Robots step into the ring for a first-ever boxing match
Robot combat just got a lot more interesting in Hangzhou, China. Four Unitree G1 robots, each steered by a human operator, went head-to-head in a tournament called Unitree Iron Fist King: Awakening! The event took place right next to Unitree's massive new factory and drew a lively mix of tech fans and people just curious to see what all the buzz was about. This wasn't only about showing off robotic strength; it gave everyone a front-row seat to how impressively robots can now move and react almost like humans. Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportGet my best tech tips, urgent security alerts, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide — free when you join. The competition was structured like a classic martial arts tournament. Each match consisted of three rounds, each lasting two minutes. Points were awarded for strikes: one for a hand hit, three for a leg strike. Knockdowns or failure to recover within eight seconds meant penalties, adding to the tension. The format kept things fast-paced and easy to follow. The opening match set the tone. "AI Strategist," controlled by Lu Xin, faced "Silk Artisan," piloted by Jiao Tianqi. AI Strategist wasted no time, landing precise blows and ultimately knocking out Silk Artisan in the third round. Next up, "Armored Mulan" faced off against "Energy Guardian." Energy Guardian scored a dramatic knockdown in the first round, and despite a late stumble from Armored Mulan, Energy Guardian secured the win. The final bout saw AI Strategist return to the ring against Energy Guardian. In a display of skill and adaptability, AI Strategist delivered three consecutive knockouts, clinching the championship. According to Zhou Di, a robotics expert with the China Computer Federation, "The robots' ability to predict opponents' moves and adjust in real time is a leap forward." Standing 4.3 feet tall and weighing 77 pounds, the Unitree G1 is built for agility. With 23 degrees of freedom and powerful knee joints, these robots can throw hooks and side kicks and recover quickly after a fall. They may look a bit clunky in action, but their movements are surprisingly fluid and engaging. The G1 is designed with accessibility in mind. It's more affordable than Unitree's flagship H1 model, which stands nearly 6 feet tall and costs upwards of $90,000. The G1 can be folded up and carried by one person, and it can reach speeds of about 4.5 miles per hour. Its impressive moves, such as kip-ups and side flips, are made possible by the LAFAN1 motion capture dataset, which translates human movements into robotic actions. This tournament wasn't just for show. It served as a real-world test for the G1's sensors, motors, and algorithms. Every punch, dodge and recovery pushed the robots to their limits. Observers noted some minor issues, like slight delays in reaction time or wobbles after taking a hit, but overall, the robots handled the pressure well. One of the most interesting aspects of the G1 is its ability to learn new skills over time. Operators can control the robots using motion-sensing devices, traditional controllers or even voice commands. Unitree is making it easy for anyone to experience these battles, whether through live streams or in-person events. The "Unitree Iron Fist King: Awakening!" tournament really showed us what the future of robot combat could look like. The G1 robots wowed everyone with their quick moves, flexibility and the kind of action that keeps a crowd cheering. As the tech keeps getting better, these events are only going to get more fun and easier for everyone to check out, bringing the excitement of robot sports to fans everywhere. Would you buy a ticket to watch a live robot battle, or do you prefer traditional sports? Let us know by writing us at For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Follow Kurt on his social channels: Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions: New from Kurt: Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
