Shenzhen-based humanoid robot company Zhuji Dongli has completed a nearly $200 million Pre-IPO round, with a post-money valuation of 15 billion yuan (about $2.1 billion). Combined with a $200 million Series B round in February, the company has raised roughly $400 million in the last six months.
The round was backed by IDG Capital, Lens Technology, GGG Group, Redstone VC, and Huashan Capital. Existing investors Leishi Capital, NIO Capital, and Shangqi Capital followed on.
The funds will go toward what the company calls "big brain and small brain integration" — essentially making the motor control system that handles walking and balance work together with the AI system responsible for perception, reasoning, and planning.
Zhuji Dongli plans to scale up deployment of thousands of fully autonomous humanoid robots and expand into the Middle East, Europe, and other Asian markets. The company says its existing robots have already received thousands of orders, more than half from overseas.