This Week's Good ReadsBloomberg — China’s Robotics Stocks Face Investor Scrutiny Over Bubble FearsA market brief on how China’s humanoid-robotics stock rally—driven by policy support and viral demo videos—has morphed into anxiety after regulators warned of a potential bubble, with the sector’s index up about 60% before sliding nearly 20% and trading on earnings multiples far above the broader tech market. Read the market brief.

‍Forbes — Humanoid Robots Won't Save Manufacturing, Here's What Will

A manufacturing-focused column arguing that humanoid robots, while exciting, won’t by themselves solve labor shortages, supply-chain fragility or productivity gaps—and that the real breakthrough will come from rethinking processes, data and human-centric automation rather than betting everything on sci-fi-style hardware. Read the column.

An in-depth look at why a wave of humanoid-robot startups has already gone bust, identifying six especially fragile business models—from expensive general-purpose humanoids and low-value hardware plays to research prototypes with no clear use case—backed by case studies like Anki, Everyday Robots, KScale and others. Read the report.

Robotics Companies Funding

• Hypershell – $70 M, Series B and Pre-B round (Nov 2025), led by Photon Ventures (Guanghe VC) and 5Y Capital (Pitchbook). Shanghai-based consumer exoskeleton pioneer creating AI-powered wearable robotics for outdoor enthusiasts and hikers.
• Tutor Intelligence – $34 M, Series A round (01 Dec 2025), led by Union Square Ventures (Pitchbook). MIT CSAIL spin-out building AI-powered robotic arms for high-mix, low-volume kitting and palletizing in warehouses.
• ExploMar – $10 M, Series A round (Nov 2025), led by DCM Ventures (Crunchbase). Shanghai-based electric outboard manufacturer scaling high-power electric propulsion systems for commercial and leisure marine fleets.
• Morphle Labs – $5 M, Series A round (25 Nov 2025), led by Inflexor Ventures (Crunchbase). Bengaluru and Boston-based digital pathology startup automating cancer diagnostics with robotic microtomes and high-throughput slide scanners.
• Changan Robot Company – $31 M (225M RMB), Corporate round (28 Nov 2025), led by Changan Automobile (Crunchbase). Newly formed humanoid robotics subsidiary of Changan Automobile deploying embodied intelligence into NEV manufacturing plants.
• Gravis Robotics – $23 M, Series A round (28 Nov 2025), led by IQ Capital and Zacua Ventures (Crunchbase). ETH Zurich spin-out retrofitting construction excavators with autonomy kits for remote and autonomous earthmoving operation.
• Dweepi – $0.65 M (part of ₹5.5 Cr round), Seed round (24 Nov 2025), led by Pontaq Ventures (Tracxn). Visakhapatnam-based developer of robotic trolleys using AI and sensors for predictive railway track maintenance.
• Edgehax – $0.65 M (part of ₹5.5 Cr round), Seed round (24 Nov 2025), led by Pontaq Ventures (Tracxn). Bengaluru-based hardware startup producing modular edge-compute boards for AI and robotics applications.
• Neuracore – €2.5 M, Pre-seed round (27 Nov 2025), led by Earlybird Venture Capital (Crunchbase). London-based provider of unified cloud-native infrastructure for robot learning, data capture, and fleet deployment.
• Cerrion – $18 M (€15.6M), Series A round (Nov 2025), led by Creandum (Crunchbase). Zurich-based industrial AI firm using computer vision "video agents" to detect process deviations and reduce downtime in manufacturing.
• xLogic Labs – $5 M, Pre-seed round (Nov 2025), led by Angels (Tyler Cowen, Balaji Srinivasan) (Tracxn). Coimbatore-based robotics startup developing "dark factories" for automated sheet and tube metal fabrication.
• Agnikul Cosmos – $17 M, Series C round (Nov 2025), led by Celesta, Mayfield, and Rocketship.vc (Crunchbase). Chennai-based aerospace company building 3D-printed reusable rockets and mobile launchpads for small satellites.

Robotics News

• Carlyle Sells Debt of Roomba Maker as Bankruptcy Risks Loom — Carlyle Group has sold its $200 million loan to iRobot as the Roomba maker warns it may need bankruptcy protection without fresh capital, underscoring mounting pressure after its failed Amazon sale and declining sales. Bloomberg
• Seascape Aquatech bets on robotics to reinvent oyster farming — US startup Seascape Aquatech is developing autonomous boats and automated handling systems to mechanize every stage of oyster farming, raising an initial $2.5 million to prove the tech on its East Hampton test farm before rolling it out through a farm roll-up strategy. AgFunderNews
• Robots to deliver takeaways in student areas — Starship’s six-wheeled delivery robots, already used for Co-op grocery orders in Leeds since 2022, will begin delivering takeaways to neighbourhoods including Headingley, Hyde Park and Woodhouse via Uber Eats, aiming for sub-30-minute, low-emission trips that ease local congestion. BBC News
• China to deploy humanoid robots for border security — China has signed a US$37 million contract with Shenzhen-based UBTech Robotics to trial Walker humanoid robots at a key border crossing with Vietnam, testing their use in crowd guidance, logistics and other border-management duties. Business Today
• A humanoid robot-shaped bubble is forming, China warns — China’s National Development and Reform Commission warns that heavy investment flowing into more than 150 humanoid-robotics firms, many with overlapping products and limited real-world use cases, risks creating a speculative bubble in the sector. The Verge
• ElevenLabs’ first investor launches $15M fund to spot AI and robotics innovators — Carles Reina has launched Baobab Ventures, a $15 million solo-GP fund backing very early-stage AI, robotics and defence startups worldwide, combining capital with hands-on operator support for technical founding teams. TechFundingNews
• Zipline to Triple Its Life-Saving Drone Delivery Network with $150 Million from U.S. State Department, that will be More than Doubled by African Countries — Zipline has secured up to $150 million from the U.S. State Department, with African governments expected to more than double that via utilisation fees, to scale its medical drone network to as many as 15,000 health facilities serving up to 130 million people across five African countries. Zipline
• China’s UBTech Robotics eyes US$400 million in Hong Kong share placement — Humanoid-robot maker UBTech plans to raise about HK$3.11 billion (US$399.6 million) via a discounted Hong Kong share placement, its sixth and largest follow-on offer since 2024, to fund supply-chain investments and a push into industrial manufacturing seen as a “historic opportunity” for humanoid robots. South China Morning Post

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