Zeroth Robotics, the Suzhou-based humanoid startup formally known as Suzhou JoyIn Intelligent Technology, has closed a 500 million yuan ($73.58 million) pre-Series A led by Alibaba affiliate Ant Group. The round brings Zeroth's total capital raised to roughly 1 billion yuan and marks Ant's twelfth humanoid-robot deal in 18 months.
Ant Group's twelfth humanoid bet in 18 months
The financing counts Monolith Management, Geely Capital, 37 Interactive Entertainment and Hua Capital as co-investors. Ant has now backed a dozen humanoid, embodied-AI and robotics-adjacent companies since early 2025, part of a coordinated push that follows its earlier bets in mobility including the CATL-Hellobike Level 4 robotaxi joint venture. The fintech giant's robotics arm, Robbyant, has itself been visible on the show floor at events like Automate 2026.
Companion-first, not factory-first
Founded in late 2024, Zeroth is targeting home use rather than the factory floor. Its first products are companionship robots for elderly and pet care, followed by an educational line for children. The company says orders already top 30,000 units, with first-half operating revenue up roughly 600% year-on-year. Its robots run on chips from Horizon Robotics, and Zeroth plans to open North American and European sales in the autumn once local compliance clears.
China's humanoid capital tap keeps running
Zeroth lands the round in the middle of the busiest humanoid financing cycle on record. Chinese peers such as Robotera just crossed thousand-unit quarterly shipments, and State Grid's $1B tender for 8,500 humanoid and quadruped robots illustrates how quickly buyer demand is materializing.
Reporting based on coverage from CNBC, TechBuzz, Dealroom and Tekedia.