Chinese Robot Startup Valued at $400 Million in DeepSeek Funding Round

Funding Round Valuation

DeepSeek, a Chinese AI lab, has led a funding round that values a robot AI startup at $400 million. This investment follows DeepSeek's previous external funding round in June 2026, which valued the startup at $59 billion.

Investment Strategy

The new round will support the development of AI software for humanoid machines. This includes joint work on advanced AI models built for humanoid robots.

DeepSeek's Portfolio

DeepSeek has been actively investing in robotics and AI startups. In August 2026, the lab paid $20.8 million for a 2.31% stake in Unitree Robotics, a Chinese company known for its legged and humanoid robots.

Market Context

Unitree was valued at approximately $9 billion at its IPO on the STAR Market. The new funding round fits the same template as the previous round, supporting the development of AI software for robotics.

Competition and Future Outlook

Deep Robotics, a separate Chinese company, raised $70 million in December 2025 for robot development. However, the two companies have no reported ties.

Upcoming Funding Round

As of early October 2026, DeepSeek was reportedly in discussions about a second funding round, targeting at least $12 billion. This round is expected to come ahead of a potential IPO in 2027.