Chinese Embodied AI Startup Vbot Raises $73M Pre-A to Scale Humanoid Production
Overview
Chinese embodied AI startup Vbot closed a $73 million Pre-A round on May 11, 2026, led by Oriental Fortune Capital, Huatai Zijin Investment, and Fosun RZ Capital, with SAIC Motor's Shangqi Capital also participating. Led by CEO Yu Yinan, formerly VP at Horizon Robotics, Vbot was founded in late 2024 and has moved rapidly from concept to commercial products.
Current Product: AI Robot Dog
Vbot's debut product is an AI-powered robot dog. An initial batch of 500 units has already shipped. The company targets 2,500+ units per month by June 2026, alongside expansion of offline retail channels.
Full-Size Humanoid Roadmap
The primary use of the new capital is developing a full-size humanoid robot and AI world models. Vbot intends to transfer embodied AI capabilities from its robot dog platform to humanoids targeting logistics and manufacturing environments.
China's Embodied AI Surge
China's embodied AI ecosystem has expanded dramatically in 2026, with over 34.5 billion yuan (~$4.8B) invested across 23+ companies. Vbot's raise stands out for demonstrating that a robot dog to humanoid product ladder can resonate with investors even at the pre-A stage.
Related Articles
Chinese humanoid robot startup Robotera raised over $200M led by SF Group, with Alibaba, IDG Capital, Lenovo, and Haier participating. The company has begun delivering 1,000 units across 10 logistics centers operated by China Post and SF Group in Q2 2026.
Unitree founder Wang Xingxing disclosed plans to ship between 10,000 and 20,000 G1 humanoid robots in 2026, nearly quadrupling last year's ~5,500 units. Morgan Stanley doubled its China humanoid sales forecast to 28,000 units, reflecting the sector's rapid shift from research to commercial scale.
China's Agibot and Unitree dominate early humanoid robotics, shipping the vast majority of 2025's 13,317 global units. Faster model cycles, lower costs, and EV-derived supply chains give Chinese firms a structural edge over US rivals like Tesla Optimus.