Chinese humanoid robot maker Unitree Robotics has priced its Shanghai STAR Market IPO at 150.8 yuan per share, valuing the company at 61 billion yuan ($9.04 billion) and making 36-year-old founder Wang Xingxing a billionaire with a $2.4 billion fortune. The landmark listing, which secured a 140.8 million yuan strategic investment from AI startup DeepSeek, serves as a crucial valuation benchmark for China's embodied-AI sector amid rising U.S. import restrictions and intensifying domestic competition.
Unitree Shanghai IPO pricing
- ▪Unitree Robotics priced its Shanghai initial public offering at 150.8 yuan ($22.34) per share, valuing the company at approximately 61 billion yuan ($9.04 billion)
- ▪Unitree Robotics plans to raise 6.1 billion yuan ($904 million) by selling 40.45 million new shares, representing 10% of its enlarged share capital, on Shanghai's STAR Market
- ▪Unitree Robotics plans to open IPO subscriptions on August 10, 2026, and use the proceeds to develop robot software and hardware, launch new products, and build a manufacturing base
Wang Xingxing billionaire founder
- ▪Wang Xingxing founded Unitree Robotics in 2016 after briefly working for Chinese drone manufacturer DJI
- ▪Wang Xingxing, the 36-year-old founder, chairman, CEO, and CTO of Unitree Robotics, has amassed a fortune of $2.4 billion based on his ownership in the company
DeepSeek strategic investment
- ▪DeepSeek and Unitree Robotics agreed to jointly develop artificial intelligence models and embodied-intelligence technology for humanoid machines, with a three-year lock-up period on DeepSeek's investment
- ▪Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek invested 140.8 million yuan ($20.8 million) in Unitree Robotics' IPO through a strategic placement, receiving 933,399 shares
U.S. market tariff restrictions
- ▪Unitree Robotics generated between 10% and 13.3% of its sales from the United States last year, presenting a business risk if future models are blocked from the U.S. market
- ▪The Trump administration announced a ban in July 2026 on imports of new Chinese humanoid and quadruped robot dogs, citing national security concerns
Humanoid robotics valuation benchmark
- ▪Unitree Robotics' IPO will make it mainland China's first listed humanoid robot maker, serving as a valuation benchmark and potential ceiling for the country's embodied-AI sector
- ▪Unitree Robotics' revenues surged over 300% to 1.7 billion yuan in 2025, with humanoid robots generating 867.8 million yuan to overtake four-legged robots as its largest business
- ▪Unitree Robotics' first-quarter 2026 net profit fell 52.6% year-on-year to 40.3 million yuan due to rising research, development, and marketing costs amid intensifying market competition
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