- Humanoid has raised £114 million ($152 million) in fresh funding.
- The funding values the London startup at £1 billion ($1.35 billion), giving it unicorn status.
- The company says it has secured £1.8 billion ($2.4 billion) in robot pre-orders despite not yet shipping a commercial unit.
A London robotics startup has reached unicorn status before delivering a single commercial robot, highlighting the growing confidence investors and businesses are placing in the fast-developing humanoid robotics industry.
Humanoid, founded in London in May 2024, has raised £114 million ($152 million) in its latest funding round, taking its valuation to £1 billion ($1.35 billion). The company also says it has secured around £1.8 billion ($2.4 billion) in pre-orders for its robots, despite commercial deliveries yet to begin.
The latest investment, led by Prime Movers Lab, takes Humanoid's total funding since launch to £203 million ($270 million). Existing and new investors including Schaeffler, Bosch, Fubon Financial Holding Venture Capital and Aglaé Ventures, the investment firm backed by Bernard Arnault's family, also participated in the round.
The funding comes as investor interest in humanoid robotics continues to accelerate, with companies developing AI-powered robots attracting billion-pound valuations even before generating significant commercial revenue.
Betting on the next generation of robots
Humanoid was founded by entrepreneur Artem Sokolov, who reportedly invested £23 million ($30 million) of his own money when launching the company. He later sold his family's manufacturing business, which had grown to around £771 million ($1 billion) in annual revenue, before focusing on developing robots designed to carry out repetitive industrial tasks.
The startup develops both wheeled and bipedal humanoid robots using its HMND 01 platform, powered by its in-house AI system, KinetIQ. The company claims it built its wheeled prototype in seven months and its bipedal version in five months, compared with an industry average of between 18 and 24 months. Those development timelines are self-reported and have not been independently verified.
A beta version of its robots is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026, while commercial production of the wheeled model is planned to follow.
Sokolov reportedly said the company had achieved in a short period what would normally take many years, adding that the new funding would help accelerate product development and manufacturing.
A market attracting bigger bets
Humanoid's rapid rise comes as investors increasingly view humanoid robots as a potential solution to labour shortages across manufacturing, logistics and retail.
According to Goldman Sachs, the global humanoid robotics market could be worth around £29 billion ($38 billion) by 2035. Even so, several robotics companies are already attracting valuations that reflect expectations well beyond current revenues.
Humanoid joins a growing field that includes Figure AI in the US, Apptronik and Germany's Neura Robotics, all of which have secured substantial funding as competition intensifies.
The latest investment also strengthens Humanoid's industrial partnerships. Robert Bosch Robotics GmbH will act as the company's contract manufacturing partner, while also providing technical expertise in hardware design, production and supply chain operations.
Mathias Pillin, chief technology officer of Robert Bosch GmbH, reportedly said the company sees significant growth opportunities in humanoid robotics. Meanwhile, Klaus Rosenfeld, chief executive of Schaeffler AG, reportedly described humanoid robotics as rapidly moving from a visionary concept towards industrial use, adding that the investment was both a strategic and commercial decision.
While Humanoid is yet to deliver its first commercial robot, its latest funding round suggests investors are increasingly willing to back companies they believe could shape the next phase of industrial automation.
