Shanghai-based logistics-robotics startup Yincheng Intelligence has raised almost RMB 100 million (roughly $14 million) in a Series A round to scale its general-purpose picking robot, Starborn, on the back of an RMB 100M-class contract with express carrier SF Express. The financing was reported by Tech Startups and Chinese outlet Jianshi on 15 September 2026.
Huamintou And SSI Lead, DT Capital Doubles Down
The round was led by Huamintou and Shanghai Semiconductor Industry Investment, with existing investor DT Capital increasing its stake. Yincheng did not disclose a post-money valuation. Proceeds will fund robot production, expanded pilots and further work on the company's grasping models.
1,800 Parcels An Hour, Then Thousands Of Robots
Yincheng's Starborn platform pairs 3D vision with a learned manipulation policy and a mixed-object end-effector, targeting the messy real-world variety of parcels flowing through express hubs: bagged garments, small boxes, tubes, cushioned envelopes. The company claims a throughput of about 1,800 items per hour and a 1-to-1.5-year payback period, though those numbers are company-supplied rather than independently audited.
The SF Express Anchor
The anchor commercial deal is with SF Express, China's largest private express-delivery operator, which has committed to an RMB 100 million-class order for package-feeding operations across its distribution centres. Yincheng plans to roll out thousands of Starborn units at SF's facilities over the next 24 months. The contract lines up with a broader push by SF Group into automation - the group also led ROBOTERA's $200M+ round earlier this year - and mirrors deployments elsewhere in China, including the ongoing Plus autonomous-truck pilot for SF Express.
Where It Fits The Picking Robot Field
Yincheng is one of a growing cohort of Chinese startups betting that a picking-robot generalist, not a bespoke arm-per-SKU, is what unlocks logistics automation. Rivals include DMM-backed Algomatic Dynamics in Japan and a wave of US operators. With a paying anchor customer and an RMB 100M commitment on paper, Yincheng arrives at that party carrying more than just a demo reel.
Reporting based on coverage from Tech Startups, Jianshi and PEDaily.