Last Updated: 24 July 2026
Humanoid, a UK based robotics company that builds industrial robots, wants to prove that Europe can hold its own against the United States and China in one of the fastest growing parts of the tech industry. Artem Sokolov founded the company in 2024. In under two years, it has gone from an early idea to signed deployment agreements with some of the world's largest industrial manufacturers.
Investor interest in humanoid robotics has picked up sharply over the past year. Equity funding in the sector has reached roughly $8.6 billion across 113 rounds since tracking began. In 2026 alone, the industry has already pulled in $3.8 billion, more than all of 2025 combined, according to Tracxn. Most of that money has gone to a small group of companies, which is part of why a large new round from outside the US and China stands out.
Humanoid has raised $152 million in a Series A round at a $1.35 billion post money valuation. Prime Movers Lab led the round. Schaeffler, Bosch, Fubon Financial Holding Venture Capital, and Aglaé Ventures also took part. The company has now raised $270 million in total, and the round is described as the largest Series A ever closed by a humanoid first robotics company in Europe.
Until recently, most of the money and attention in humanoid robotics went to companies in the United States and China. The industry sometimes uses the term Physical AI to describe systems that combine artificial intelligence with machines that can sense and act in the real world, and that race has largely played out between American and Chinese firms. This round suggests that pattern may be starting to change.
Humanoid's backers include some of the biggest names in European industry. Schaeffler, a motion technology company, and Bosch, through its robotics arm, are doing more than writing checks. Both are working directly with Humanoid on manufacturing and deployment, which gives the round a practical weight that venture capital alone does not usually carry.
"Humanoid robotics will be one of the defining technologies of the next decade, reshaping how commercial and industrial work gets done. We expect the field to consolidate around a handful of category leaders across the US, Europe, and China. Humanoid AI will be one of a small cadre of robotics companies that will define humanoid robotics in Europe and beyond."
Zia Huque, General Partner at Prime Movers Lab
Humanoid says the money will go toward building its next generation of robots, expanding commercial deployments, and growing its software and AI systems. The company expects to begin sending beta versions of its robots to customers in the fourth quarter of 2026. Full commercial rollouts across logistics, manufacturing, and retail are meant to follow from there.
A large part of the plan centers on manufacturing. Humanoid intends to start mass production of its wheel based robots soon. Bosch, through its subsidiary Robert Bosch Robotics GmbH, has already agreed to serve as a contract manufacturing partner for the company.
"We see significant growth opportunities in the field of humanoid robotics. Through our subsidiary Robert Bosch Robotics GmbH we have already entered into a manufacturing partnership with Humanoid. Bosch will act as Humanoid's contract manufacturing partner, while also providing strategic consulting and technical expertise in hardware design, production, and supply chain."
Mathias Pillin, Chief Technology Officer of Robert Bosch GmbH
Artem Sokolov founded Humanoid in 2024. The company now employs more than 250 engineers, researchers, and other specialists, many of them drawn from major technology companies. Humanoid builds robots meant for industrial settings such as warehouses and factories rather than homes or offices. Its robots run on a proprietary AI system called KinetIQ, a four layer framework designed to help a robot understand a task, work out how to complete it, and carry it out safely on a real job site.
The company points to how fast it has turned this technology into paying business. It has formed partnerships with Fortune 500 companies including SAP, NVIDIA, Bosch, and Siemens. Its deal with Schaeffler, covering the large scale deployment of thousands of robots in manufacturing settings, is described as the largest publicly announced commercial agreement in the industry so far.
"In just two years, we've gone from an idea to becoming Europe's first pure-play humanoid robotics unicorn, partnered with some of the world's leading industrial companies and built one of the strongest pipelines in the industry. What we've accomplished in such a short time would typically take a decade. None of this would have been possible without an extraordinary team that challenges every single day what people believe is possible. This funding gives us the resources to move even faster and to turn humanoid robots from breakthrough technology into everyday industrial tools."
Artem Sokolov, Founder and CEO of Humanoid
Prime Movers Lab, a venture capital firm that focuses on early stage investments in science based startups, led the Series A round. Schaeffler and Bosch, both established German industrial companies with direct manufacturing ties to Humanoid, joined in, along with Fubon Financial Holding Venture Capital and Aglaé Ventures. Together, these backers bring capital and industrial know how, and that combination matters for a company trying to move from prototypes to factory floors.
This round brings Humanoid's total funding to $270 million in under two years. That pace, combined with the size of the round, places the company among a small group of European firms trying to compete at the top of a global market still led by American and Chinese players.
"Humanoid has demonstrated exceptional execution in a remarkably short period of time, transforming breakthrough AI and robotics technology into real industrial deployments. We are excited to support the company's next stage of growth as a long-term strategic partner and look forward to contributing to its global expansion."
Fubon Financial Holding Venture Capital