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.

Source: The AI Insider - Vbot raises $73M (May 11, 2026)