Alibaba-affiliate Ant Group enters the humanoid robot market with 12 deals
Manufactured by Lexiang Technology, Zeroth W1 has received Wall-E IP clearance for the Disney animated film “RoboCop” and will be unveiled at AWE 2026 in Shanghai, China, on March 15, 2026.
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BEIJING — Alibaba’sSubsidiary Ant Group is accelerating its transition to humanoid robots.
Ant led a 500 million yuan ($73.58 million) financing round in humanoid robotics company Zeroth, it announced Thursday.
It is the 12th company in the industry that Ant has invested in since the beginning of 2025, according to a CNBC analysis of PitchBook data. Investments tracked by CNBC range from humanoid robotics companies Galaxea and Unitree to parts and software start-ups such as Linkerbot, Hypershell and Genrobot AI.
After regulators halted Ant’s massive IPO in 2020, mobile payment app operator Alipay launched a healthcare app and released its own AI models. In late 2024, Ant also launched a humanoid robot subsidiary. RobbyAnt later developed own robot.
Ant has released an AI- and robotics-friendly version of its Alipay mobile payment service, which Zeroth says it is interested in collaborating with.
Monolith, Geely Capital, 37 Interactive Entertainment and Hua Capital also participated in Zeroth’s latest funding round. The pre-Series A raise brings the total funds raised to 1 billion yuan.
The startup’s founder, Guo Renjie, told CNBC that Zeroth is focused on securing companies with experience in industries such as smartphone chips. He said the company’s robots currently use chips from Horizon Robotics.
Zeroth Robotics, known as Suzhou JoyIn Smart Technology in China, was founded in late 2024.
The startup is planning a phased approach to realizing humanoid robots for the home, Guo told CNBC in an interview earlier this year. He said the company started with companion robots for elderly care and pet care, followed by robots for children’s education.
Zeroth claimed it had received orders for more than 30,000 units and that operating income in the first half of the year was up 600% compared to a year ago.
The company plans to begin overseas sales in North America and Europe this fall after meeting local compliance requirements, Guo said.
The deal, led by Ant Group, comes as interest in humanoid robots grows in China. Nvidia announced on monday recruiting for various robotics roles Based in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
