UK's Humanoid Becomes Europe's First Robotics Unicorn with $152M Series A

London-based AI robotics startup Humanoid has closed a $152 million Series A funding round at a $1.35 billion post-money valuation, becoming Europe's first pure-play humanoid robotics unicorn. The round, led by Prime Movers Lab with participation from industrial giants Schaeffler, Bosch, and Bernard Arnault's Aglaé Ventures, brings the two-year-old company's total funding to $270 million — and signals that Europe is serious about competing with the US and China in the race to put humanoid robots in factories.

From Factory Floor to Unicorn

Founded in May 2024 by Artem Sokolov, who sold his family's billion-dollar manufacturing business to fund the venture, Humanoid has moved with unusual speed. The company built its wheeled alpha robot in just seven months and a bipedal version in five — timelines the company claims are a quarter of the industry average of 18–24 months, though these figures are self-reported. The startup now employs over 250 people across London, Boston, Vancouver, and San Diego.

What sets Humanoid apart is its vertically integrated approach. Rather than relying on third-party AI models, the company developed KinetIQ, its proprietary AI brain that enables robots to understand, reason, and execute complex physical tasks in real industrial environments. The robots run on the HMND 01 platform, which supports both wheeled and bipedal form factors depending on the deployment environment.

34,000 Pre-Orders Before a Single Commercial Unit

Perhaps the most striking number in Humanoid's announcement isn't the valuation — it's the order book. The company says it has received 34,000 robot pre-orders worth approximately $2.4 billion before shipping any commercial units. The centerpiece is an agreement with Schaeffler to deploy between 1,000 and 2,000 robots across the German industrial supplier's global manufacturing sites by 2032, with initial deployments at two German facilities starting between December 2026 and June 2027.

Bosch isn't just investing — its Robert Bosch Robotics GmbH subsidiary will serve as Humanoid's contract manufacturing partner, providing technical expertise in hardware design, production, and supply chain operations. This partnership effectively plugs one of Europe's largest industrial groups directly into Humanoid's production pipeline.

Europe's Answer to Figure and Apptronik

The humanoid robotics sector has been dominated by American and Chinese companies: Figure AI reached a $39 billion valuation, Apptronik raised $520 million, and China's AGIBOT is shipping robots by the hundreds. Germany's Neura Robotics closed a €1.4 billion Series C in June 2026 at a reported $7 billion valuation, and Barcelona's THEKER raised $85 million.

"Humanoid robotics will be one of the defining technologies of the next decade," said Zia Huque, general partner at Prime Movers Lab. "We expect the field to consolidate around a handful of category leaders across the US, Europe, and China. Humanoid will be one of a small cadre of robotics companies that will define humanoid robotics in Europe and beyond."

Humanoid plans to begin deploying beta versions of its next-generation robots in Q4 2026 and to start mass manufacturing of its wheeled platform with the new capital.

Key takeaway: Humanoid's $152M raise at unicorn valuation — backed by Schaeffler, Bosch, and LVMH's investment arm — signals that industrial humanoid robots are transitioning from science fiction to factory floor reality, with Europe now fielding a credible competitor to US and Chinese leaders in the race to automate physical labor at scale.