Robotics capital moves — 6–12 July 2026
Funding rounds, acquisitions and other capital transactions across robotics, autonomous systems and their enabling technologies.
Major funding rounds
Kraken Technology Group raised a $175 million Series B led by DTCP Defence at a $1 billion valuation. Participants included the British Business Bank, NATO Innovation Fund, Rheinmetall, Inocea, HICO, Thesiger Capital, BOKA Capital, Supernova Invest and Hakluyt Capital. The financing supports further development of uncrewed maritime vessels and payloads and expansion of local manufacturing capacity.
The Fareham-based company builds autonomous platforms for surface and subsurface defence operations, drawing on offshore racing engineering to address speed, endurance and demanding sea conditions. Its manufacturing partnerships include Rheinmetall in Germany, Anduril in the United States and Davie Shipyards in Canada. These arrangements are intended to localise production as Kraken expands supply to NATO and allied customers.
RobotEra completed a RMB1 billion financing led by China Chengtong Fund, according to original reporting by PE Daily. Jiangxi State Holding, Guoyuan Equity, Yufu Zhongxin Fund and Hangzhou Capital participated alongside financial investors and existing backers. The report puts financing over the preceding two months at RMB2.5 billion, which is a cumulative figure separate from this round.
RobotEra develops robot models, whole-body control, dexterous hands and complete robot platforms, including the L7 biped and Q5 wheeled service robot. Its logistics work includes parcel grasping, orienting labels and sorting. The company reports deployments with SF Express and China Post across more than ten logistics centres in five provinces and cities; operating data from these sites feeds its robot-learning work.
LISTENAI
LISTENAI completed a Series B of nearly RMB500 million jointly led by state-backed investment platforms in Anhui and Hefei, with Shenbao Yiben, Tianzhi Investment, iFlytek’s venture arm, Yingke and other investors participating. The funding will support development of chips capable of running larger AI models directly on devices.
The company has released 23 system-level inference chips covering local, connected and hybrid operation, with reported cumulative shipments above 150 million chips. Its products serve home appliances, educational devices, consumer electronics and vehicles. The next Nebula series is in development for launch by the end of 2026, extending its perception-chip portfolio toward more capable on-device models and emerging robotics applications.
XFEON completed financing of more than RMB300 million led by Dingxu Investment, with KaiPu Cloud, ECC Capital and Eucalyptus Capital participating. The company will use the capital for next-generation Physical AI chips, embodied-AI data collection and model development, market expansion and recruitment.
Its computing portfolio spans infrastructure services and specialised hardware: the R series supports robot-side sensor fusion, inference and task decisions, while the K series targets onboard space computing. XFEON is also developing training-data infrastructure combining real robot experience, first-person data and simulation. The financing supports this expansion from computing services into the hardware and data systems used to train and operate embodied models.
Skapion raised a $36 million seed round co-led by UP.Partners and Khosla Ventures, with Fusion VC, Stratos Ventures, tbd vc and q fund participating. The company is developing an air-defence system designed specifically to detect, engage and neutralise coordinated drone swarms, protecting military personnel and critical infrastructure.
The platform combines detection, interception and command functions in mobile nodes that can operate independently or as a distributed system. The financing will expand engineering, system integration and validation, and engagement with defence customers in Israel, the United States and allied markets. Its development work addresses the need to handle many low-cost aerial threats simultaneously.
Hippo Harvest
Hippo Harvest closed a $30 million Series C led by Cox Farms, with Congruent Ventures, Hawthorne Food Ventures, Collaborative Fund and Fresh Investment Club participating. The funding supports a proposed 30-acre greenhouse expansion in Hollister, California, which is in permitting, and development of its next-generation robotic growing system. Its existing growing footprint is one acre.
Hippo Harvest uses autonomous mobile robots and machine learning to monitor, tend and harvest organic greens. Robotic tractors automatically reposition growing modules as plants develop, allowing the greenhouse to use its space more efficiently. The next system is intended to increase throughput and reduce cost per unit while the company commercialises indoor-grown spinach and expands its retail distribution.
Tashan Technology completed a Series B of several hundred million renminbi from investors including Taiping Innovation, Joyson Electronics, AUX, Pengling, Lavender Hill Capital Partners and Hongshan Capital, with existing investors Dow Technology and Binfu participating. The company said this was its third financing in six months; it had also started seeking a Series C, which remains a separate fundraising process.
Tashan develops tactile chips, sensors and algorithms for measuring three-dimensional force, identifying materials and sensing proximity. It has opened tactile-data centres in Beijing and Hubei and introduced TS-Echo finger sleeves for recording human contact data that can transfer between different robot hands and arms. With more than 180 commercial partners reported, the company is extending from sensor supply into robot-training infrastructure; a new dynamic tactile chip is planned for the third quarter.
DeepCtrls completed a Series B described as several hundred million renminbi, with strategic investment from JinkoSolar and co-leadership by SDIC Innovation and CMB International. Existing investors including HSG, Source Code Capital, Forebright Capital and China Merchants Venture also participated. The financing supports deployment of its industrial control technology across computing and energy infrastructure.
The company combines physical-system models with AI in its PhyAI engine to optimise equipment operation. Its products range from DeepChip device-control modules and DeepBot industrial agents to DeepSYS system optimisation and DeepOS coordination of computing and energy. These systems address equipment control and energy use across facilities such as data centres and manufacturing sites, with the company expanding its overseas business.
Zhongke Xinsong disclosed a Series A+ of several hundred million renminbi, completed in June and reported publicly in July. Hongtai Fund and CDH Baifu co-led the equity round, with Chengtong Fund, Dazhong Juding, Guangzhou Suyuan and existing investor Dongjun Capital participating. Transaction adviser PG Advisory confirmed the financing and its financial due-diligence role.
The company develops industrial robotics for semiconductor logistics, intelligent welding and precision assembly. Its products include mobile manipulators, collaborative robots and welding systems that reduce manual teaching, supported by its own components, control and perception technology. The capital supports product development and commercial expansion as Zhongke Xinsong extends its industrial engineering experience into humanoids, force-controlled arms and joint modules.
HIVE announced a $15 million seed investment led by SuperSeed, with participation from Veriten, Skyfall and Nysnø, alongside angels Børge Hald and Jørn Lyseggen. The company will use the capital to develop its industrial-machine intelligence platform, recruit AI and robotics staff and expand commercial deployments, including a planned US expansion.
HIVE retrofits existing industrial machines with sensors and an AI control system it calls a silicon brain. The platform connects machines into a coordinated fleet, allowing them to perceive their surroundings and carry out work across warehouses, production lines and construction sites. HIVE says it already operates across several Scandinavian sites, with each deployed machine hour contributing data to a shared learning loop.
Additional funding rounds
Xspark AI completed an angel round of nearly RMB100 million co-led by CDH VGC, Monad Ventures and SEE Fund, with Shenzhen Angel FOF, Shuimu Alumni Seed Fund, Beiyang Haitang Fund and Xtep’s family office participating. The financing will support core research, product development and deployment of its Physical AI technology.
The company combines multispectral tactile sensing, generated training data and robot evaluation in a control architecture linking a vision-language model for task understanding, a world-action model for movement and a lower-level execution layer. Its system can operate independently or integrate with a robot’s existing models. This modular approach is intended to bring perception, decisions and physical feedback together as robots move from laboratory tests into variable working environments.
Luffy AI closed an £8.1 million Series A led by BGF, with MIG Capital and existing investors Bow Capital, Chrysalix, Momenta and UKI2S participating. MIG’s funds contributed £1.5 million. The financing is intended to turn completed proofs of concept and pilots into commercial partnerships with industrial companies.
Luffy AI develops compact neural networks for adaptive real-time control. The models are trained in simulation and continue adapting on the device as loads and operating conditions change, reducing reliance on cloud retraining. Initial applications include industrial motors and variable-frequency drives for pumps, fans and conveyors, with robotics and drone position control among potential later applications.
Cambridge-based Worldmodeldata emerged from stealth with £7 million in seed funding led by Iona Star Capital. The company collects and structures video-game-generated experience for world models, physical AI systems and robotics developers. The funding supports product development, hiring and licensing agreements for the underlying gameplay and game assets.
Its datasets link visual observations with player actions and game-engine state, giving model developers examples of how environments change in response to actions. The data is obtained through formal licensing agreements rather than web scraping. Worldmodeldata targets a library of one million hours by the end of 2026; that figure is a planned dataset scale, not the amount already available at launch.
alqem
alqem raised €8 million in pre-seed funding co-led by UVC Partners and Union Square Ventures to develop an AI-driven materials discovery engine. The team builds on its work with Alexandria, an open materials database, and operates in Munich and Coimbra. Its initial focus is rare-earth-free permanent magnets, which could serve motors used in robotics, electric vehicles and other industrial equipment.
The discovery system combines al-mine, a database of predicted stable crystalline compounds, with al-oracle, training datasets for material properties, and in-house synthesis and characterisation. That combination lets the company narrow candidate materials computationally and test them experimentally, feeding measured results back into subsequent searches. The funding supports development of the engine and the path from promising compounds to industrial materials.
Surtr raised a $4.8 million pre-seed round backed by Allegis Capital, Eniac Ventures, Gaingels, Robinhood Ventures, Streamlined Ventures and angel investors, according to its exclusive announcement to Tectonic. The funding supports hiring, additional hardware integrations, Pentagon programme submissions and export-licensing work.
Its software runs on an edge-computing unit and combines sensor feeds, command tools and counter-drone equipment within one operator interface. The founders reported testing microphone and camera fusion with military operators in Ukraine, tracking FPV drones with latency below 100 milliseconds. Radar and weapons-system integration are further development steps; automatically cueing defensive equipment is a planned extension of the tested tracking system.
Daedong Robotics raised KRW5 billion in a Series A from GS Engineering & Construction’s Xplor Investment, POSCO Technology Investment and NowIB Capital. The investment will fund AI field-robot development, manufacturing of new platforms and industrial-site trials, extending its business from agriculture into construction, manufacturing and logistics.
The company develops off-road autonomous mobility, visual perception and control for outdoor work, including transport, mowing and spraying. GS E&C’s participation builds on a June construction-robotics MoU, while POSCO’s venture arm is interested in autonomous movement between indoor and outdoor factory areas. These partnerships provide settings in which Daedong can adapt its field-robot technology to materials transport and other industrial tasks.
Mowito raised a $3 million pre-seed round led by Version One Ventures, with All In Capital, Unisol, iSeed and angel investors participating. The funding will support US expansion and team development in Detroit, bringing the company closer to automotive customers.
Mowito develops AI models that teach standard industrial robot arms manufacturing tasks through demonstrations, without hardware changes. Its lead investor says operators can reconfigure tasks on the factory floor and that systems are already working at a Fortune 500 automotive manufacturer and a large electronics contract manufacturer. The approach is intended to reduce the programming work needed when parts or production processes change.
Yunmu Intelligent Manufacturing
Yunmu Intelligent Manufacturing completed a Pre-A financing reported as tens of millions of renminbi, with Huaqiang Venture Capital, Tengfei Technology, Taicang’s angel investment fund, Keli Sensing and Zhejiang Huaxia Smart Energy participating. The Taicang-based company is developing general-purpose humanoids and other robotic systems for industrial and service applications.
Its development portfolio includes bipedal robots, legged and wheeled platforms and mobile robots with one or two collaborative arms. Target tasks span industrial manipulation, logistics, inspection and security. The financing supports expansion of the research team, faster product development and wider application trials as the company works toward commercialising its hardware.
Meixin Intelligent completed an angel financing described as RMB10 million-scale from sole investor Chizi Fund. The capital will support a production line in Huzhou and fulfilment of overseas orders for its automated pizza-making equipment.
The company develops restaurant production systems combining dough preparation, fermentation control and cooking equipment. Its technology includes automated pressing, coordinated motion control and a robotic mechanism for cleaning oven residue. Building a local production line will support manufacturing and delivery of these integrated systems for pizza outlets seeking more consistent preparation and lower manual workload.
Rovigos secured KRW2 billion through two Incheon Technopark-backed investment vehicles managed by Vine Ventures. The Vine Nudge Heritage Plus fund invested KRW1.9 billion and the youth-startup Vine Nudge IV with U fund invested KRW100 million. The announcement establishes the completed investment, without naming its round.
Rovigos develops logistics-control software that brings operational data and moving equipment into one management system. The capital will support upgrades to its AI logistics solutions and international expansion. The company plans to move into the Incheon Free Economic Zone’s Global Scale-up Campus as it develops its overseas business.
6thSense announced approximately KRW1 billion of pre-seed funding and selection for Y Combinator’s Summer 2026 programme, following backing from Krew Capital. The company will use the support to manufacture its next-generation tactile gloves, expand data collection and build partnerships with robot-learning developers.
Its wearable sensing rigs synchronise human hand pressure, contact and movement with first-person vision and other sensor signals. The resulting demonstrations provide robot models with information about physical contact during manipulation, extending training beyond visual recordings. 6thSense says it is collecting data in manufacturing environments in Vietnam, India and China; a proposed $1 million customer contract remains under proof-of-concept evaluation.
NeoArc Robotics raised KRW500 million in seed funding led by FuturePlay to advance cutting and welding automation for shipbuilding and construction. The company installed and validated systems at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean production sites in 2025 and is discussing additional equipment installations.
Its three-dimensional steel-cutting system uses vision to assess the shape, position and deformation of structural sections before cutting. NeoArc also develops intelligent welding systems and mobile logistics robots for confined industrial spaces. The funding supports laser cutting and mobile welding development, with further field applications targeted for 2027 and a planned entry into U.S. production lines from 2028.
Trinity Robotics raised more than €500,000 from Defence Builder Fund I, Front Ventures and Hede Capital to expand production of its Konyk ONE unmanned ground vehicle. The investor announcement says the platform is already used by more than 20 Ukrainian military units. Trinity produces up to 70 systems per month and aims to increase that to more than 150.
Konyk ONE supports logistics and casualty evacuation, with a stated payload of up to 300 kg and a 45 km range under full load. Remote operation allows personnel to conduct transport missions while staying away from the vehicle, and the platform fits in a standard pickup for movement between sites. The investment connects existing field demand with the manufacturing capacity needed to supply more systems.
Kisui completed a private financing through a third-party allotment, with participation from Duta Laserindo Metal, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, Shinnichi Kogyo, an individual investor and Japan’s decarbonisation investment institution JICN. The amount was not disclosed. The funding will strengthen production of its Adam outdoor robot, expand sales and deployment support, and fund automation development for agriculture, construction and infrastructure.
Adam is an autonomous off-road mobility platform designed for carrying loads, patrols, data collection, mowing and spraying on uneven terrain. Kisui delivered 14 units in Japan and overseas during 2025. Indonesian manufacturing partner Duta Laserindo Metal will support assembly and supply for Southeast Asian markets, connecting the investment with a route to overseas production and deployment.
Acquisitions
Ondas / DZYNE Technologies
$875.8MOndas completed its acquisition of DZYNE Technologies in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at $875.8 million. More than half of the stock consideration is subject to a six-month lock-up. DZYNE adds long-endurance autonomous aircraft, counter-drone systems and autonomous effects to Ondas’ defence portfolio.
DZYNE and World View will operate within the newly formed Ondas Sentinel division, bringing persistent intelligence, aerial security and mission intelligence into one operating organisation. Ondas intends to combine their technology roadmaps, manufacturing and sustainment with mission software to support larger defence programmes. The transaction adds an established operating business alongside the new division’s integration work.
Comau / Invent
UndisclosedComau completed the acquisition of 100% of Invent Smart Intralogistics Solutions, a Brazilian warehouse-automation company. The price was not disclosed. Invent will retain its management structure and business model while joining Comau’s wider automation network.
Invent contributes box handling, order fulfilment and warehouse orchestration software. Those capabilities complement Automha’s pallet handling and automated storage systems and Comau’s manufacturing automation, extending the group’s ability to connect production, storage and material movement. The acquisition also expands its presence in Latin America and access to mid-market intralogistics customers in the United States.
Caterpillar / Skycatch
UndisclosedCaterpillar acquired Skycatch, which captures, processes and analyses spatial data for mining operations. The price was not disclosed. Skycatch combines frequent, high-resolution site measurements with AI analysis to give operators an updated view of changing mine conditions.
Caterpillar plans to integrate that data with RPMGlobal and MineStar. Near-real-time digital models can connect mine planning with daily execution, helping operators adjust material movement as site conditions change. The combination is intended to support both staffed and autonomous fleets and builds on Caterpillar’s earlier purchase of RPMGlobal.
Strategic investments
HarvestX signed an investment agreement with Mitsubishi Corporation, extending its commercial partnerships after a March capital and business alliance with Sumitomo Corporation. The amount was not disclosed. The funding will support automation of plant-factory cultivation, development for additional crops and international sales and deployment.
HarvestX uses deep learning to identify flower conditions and precise robot-arm movements to pollinate strawberries without bees. It plans to extend automation into harvesting and other cultivation stages, and adapt the approach to crops such as tomatoes. Its modular systems are designed for installation in existing facilities, while the trading companies’ networks provide routes into Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Reported and pending acquisitions
Thales / Exail
€3.9B implied enterprise valueThales signed a binding agreement to buy the Gorgé family’s 35.51% stake in Exail at €134 per share, with a subsequent mandatory tender offer intended to acquire the whole company. The price implies a €3.9 billion enterprise value. The stake purchase is expected to close by the third quarter of 2027, subject to antitrust and regulatory approvals; completion of the tender offer is expected by early 2028 at the latest.
The proposed combination would expand Thales’ underwater warfare business and add Exail’s inertial-navigation expertise. Those technologies support maritime systems and precise navigation where external positioning can be limited. At the July briefing date, this was an agreed acquisition process awaiting approval and closing, with the enterprise value describing the target business rather than funding raised by Exail.
Lockheed Martin signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ultra Maritime for $3.45 billion. Ultra supplies undersea and anti-submarine warfare technologies including sonar, sonobuoys, torpedo-defence systems, radar and autonomous maritime sensing platforms. The announcement established the transaction agreement; the business had not yet joined Lockheed Martin.
On closing, Ultra Maritime will become part of Lockheed Martin’s Rotary and Mission Systems business. Its towed arrays, hull-mounted sonar and exportable sonobuoys would broaden Lockheed’s sensing portfolio across maritime platforms, supporting detection and monitoring for U.S. and allied naval customers.
Fincantieri — underwater acquisition programme
Approximately €600M initial expenditureFincantieri announced agreements to acquire interests in Next Geosolutions, WSense, Graal Tech and Defcomm, with approximately €600 million of initial expenditure. The programme is financed using proceeds of its €500 million February capital increase and other group resources. The transactions have different closing conditions and ownership stages, so the announcement did not mean that all four companies had already been acquired.
Next Geosolutions adds marine survey and offshore services; WSense supplies underwater communications and sensor networking; Graal Tech develops underwater robots; and Defcomm develops autonomous surface vessels. Fincantieri intends to combine them with its existing underwater businesses to connect vessels, launch systems, robotic surveys and communications in integrated commercial and defence services. The NextGeo agreement covers a controlling 52.60% stake followed by a tender offer, while the other investments include staged ownership increases.
Mixed financing packages
Dogtooth secured more than £14 million of growth capital through a package combining equity from 24Haymarket, EMV Capital and ACF Investors, Innovate UK grants and a Kineo Finance venture-leasing facility. The total is a mixed financing package, rather than a disclosed £14 million equity round.
Dogtooth’s harvesting systems combine computer vision with robotic manipulation to identify ripe fruit and pick delicate crops in commercial growing environments. The company has delivered systems to Dyson Farming. The new capital will support wider UK and international deployments, further development of the technology and adoption by growers facing seasonal labour shortages.
Turing completed a JPY12.62 billion Series A extension comprising JPY6.82 billion in equity and a JPY5.80 billion loan from Mitsubishi UFJ Bank. Together with the JPY15.27 billion first close announced in November 2025, the company reported JPY27.89 billion for the full Series A financing package. Equity participants included AMD Ventures, BIPROGY, DataDirect Networks, GMO Internet, Mitsubishi Corporation, MUFG, Supermicro and Tokyo Electron Device.
Turing develops a camera-based driving system that connects perception, decisions and vehicle control within an end-to-end model. It is also developing physical foundation models intended to interpret pedestrians, signals and road conditions in complex driving scenes. The new financing will expand its computing infrastructure, strengthen its commercialisation organisation and fund recruitment as the company develops the models and integrates them into vehicles.
Listings and IPO filings
Hong Kong robotics IPO pipeline
Bloomberg reported that 46 robotics-related companies were in Hong Kong’s IPO pipeline, with Leju Robotics and Deep Robotics among the businesses pursuing public-market routes. The report describes the range of prospective issuers rather than completed fundraising or an investment in a company named Bloom.
Legged robots, humanoids and other embodied-AI systems are drawing companies toward public markets to finance research and industrial expansion. Applications and listing preparations remain distinct from an offering being priced, proceeds being received or shares beginning to trade. The June report provides earlier market context for the later individual IPO announcements in this recap.
Cumulative funding disclosures
Morphi disclosed more than RMB1 billion raised across a series of angel-stage financings, with Alibaba and Tencent investing alongside BlueRun Ventures, Legend Capital, Gaorong Capital, CAS Star and other institutions. The announcement put its valuation above RMB7 billion. The disclosed total spans multiple financings and should not be ranked as a single RMB1 billion round.
Founded in late 2025, Morphi is developing an integrated system combining robot hardware, software, models and operating data. Its initial commercial-service deployments are intended to generate manipulation experience that can improve subsequent models, before a longer-term move into household robots. The company plans to invest further in foundation models, data collection and commercial deployment.
Lingjing Zhiyuan disclosed more than RMB100 million raised across angel and angel+ rounds, both led by Matrix Partners China with Shanghai Minhang state-backed capital participating. The combined amount covers two financings. The company will use the funding for dedicated embodied-AI chips, industry standards, delivery of robot-computing products and team expansion.
The Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Research Institute spinout develops a robot-computing architecture spanning chips, operating systems and models. Its N series supports established computing ecosystems, while the T series uses a domestically developed stack. Both are designed for humanoid, wheeled and quadruped platforms, coordinating perception, higher-level decisions and movement control on the robot.
- RobotEra
- Morphi
- Lingjing Zhiyuan / MScape Technology
- Xspark AI
- HIVE Autonomy
- Mowito
- Tashan Technology
- DeepCtrls / 深度智控
- XFEON
- Luffy AI
- Worldmodeldata
- 6thSense
- Zhongke Xinsong
- Dogtooth Technologies
- Daedong Robotics
- Rovigos
- NeoArc Robotics
- Meixin Intelligent
- Kisui
- HarvestX
- Kraken Technology Group
- Turing
- Skapion
- Surtr Defense Systems
- Trinity Robotics
- Thales