Unitree humanoid robot IPO values manufacturer at $9 billion
English translation from Unibot. Source published 2026-08-08.
Chinese robotics company Unitree priced its initial public offering at a valuation of approximately $9 billion. It is the country's first humanoid robot manufacturer to list on a mainland Chinese exchange. The event highlights growing investor interest in AI-powered robotics despite increasing geopolitical tensions.
Offer price and fundraising
The Hangzhou-based company said it set the price for its Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market offering at 150.8 yuan ($22.34) per share. This implies a valuation of approximately 61 billion yuan ($9.04 billion), according to CNBC and Investor's Business Daily.
The company is selling 40.45 million new shares, representing ten percent of its enlarged share capital. It aims to raise around 6.1 billion yuan ($900 million). Share subscriptions open on August 10.
Use of proceeds
Unitree said it would use the funds to develop new robot hardware and software, launch additional products and expand manufacturing capacity. Chinese AI company DeepSeek is among strategic investors participating in the offering.
The listing comes amid growing attention from investors and major technology companies to the global humanoid robot market.
Financial performance
According to the prospectus, company revenue more than quadrupled in 2025 to 1.7 billion yuan. Humanoid robot sales reached 867.8 million yuan, overtaking its well-known quadruped robots to become Unitree's largest business.
However, first-quarter 2026 profit excluding one-off items fell 52.6% because of increased research and marketing spending.
Product range and recognition
Unitree makes both humanoid and quadruped robots. Its range extends from affordably priced robot dogs to industrial humanoid platforms.
The company became one of China's most recognizable robotics manufacturers through demonstrations of robots running, dancing and performing acrobatics.
Geopolitical context
The offering also takes place during intensifying US-China technology competition. Last month, US regulators introduced restrictions that could prevent future foreign humanoid and quadruped robots from obtaining approvals needed for US sales. Unitree says its existing products remain authorized.
The United States accounted for 13.3% of company revenue in 2025, according to the prospectus.
Comparison with competitors
Despite its $9 billion valuation, Unitree remains considerably smaller than some competitors that have not yet commercialized their humanoid robots. Investor's Business Daily reports that Bank of America analysts value Tesla's Optimus business at around $30 billion, while Morgan Stanley projects it could grow to $180 billion.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently called Optimus "the greatest product ever," while acknowledging that scaling production would be "the hardest thing Tesla has ever faced, because everything in this robot is new."
Unitree's IPO gives investors one of their first opportunities to invest directly in a publicly traded humanoid robot manufacturer. Competition between Chinese and American companies to commercialize general-purpose AI-powered robots is intensifying.