Shenzhen-based Shutu Technology has closed a Pre-Series A round of nearly RMB 100 million (about $14 million) to scale the behavioral data and tactile intelligence platforms it sells into China's booming embodied-AI market. The round was co-led by CDH Baifu and Kunpeng Fund, with participation from Guangzhou Industrial Investment, Yihe Capital and Trend Capital.
Data And Touch For Embodied AI
Shutu positions itself as the picks-and-shovels layer under China's humanoid boom. Its SynaData pipeline takes human demonstrations and converts them into structured, model-ready training datasets, while SynaTac equips manipulators with the tactile perception needed to feel contact, force and slip. Together, the two products aim to close the sensor and data gaps that keep laboratory demonstrations from turning into deployable robots.
Serving China's Embodied-AI Unicorns
The company says its data and tactile stack already underpins more than 60% of Chinese embodied-AI unicorns valued above RMB 10 billion, a customer base that includes many of the humanoid and dexterous-manipulation firms scaling this year. That footprint gives Shutu unusual leverage over the shared training substrate the industry is racing to build.
What The Money Funds
Proceeds will expand SynaData's data-factory throughput, harden SynaTac's tactile hardware and software stack, and grow Shutu's team of physical-AI engineers. The round also comes as Chinese robotics investments hit $4.87 billion in August 2026, with humanoids leading the category and infrastructure suppliers like D-Robotics and Antioch attracting outsized checks.
Reporting based on coverage from Tech Startups.