Chinese Robotics Startup LinkerBot Targets $6 Billion Valuation Amid Global Demand Surge

LinkerBot, a Chinese manufacturer of dexterous robotic hands, is pursuing a new funding round that values the company at $6 billion, doubling its worth from recent months. Founded by Zhou Yong in 2023, the startup has rapidly become a dominant force in the sector, claiming to have shipped 10,000 units last year and captured 80 per cent of global demand for such components. The firm is reportedly exploring a public listing in Hong Kong, according to reports, although Zhou declined to comment on the specific plans.

The company’s strategy focuses exclusively on manufacturing hands rather than full humanoid bodies, a move designed to avoid direct competition with industry giants such as Tesla and Unitree. This component-first approach has attracted significant investment from major players including Alibaba’s Ant Group, HongShan Capital, and Sequoia Capital’s Chinese spinoff. LinkerBot has completed six rounds of fundraising in just 13 months, underscoring investor confidence in its ability to supply the critical hardware needed for automated factories and humanoid robots.

LinkerBot’s products, priced between $600 and $15,000 depending on dexterity and joint count, are utilised by research labs, manufacturers, and other robot makers. Zhou predicts that prices could fall to $200 within three to five years as manufacturing scales. The company is already using its own robotic hands in its assembly lines to produce more units, demonstrating the industrial utility of the technology in a self-reinforcing production cycle.

This growth occurs against a backdrop of shifting global priorities in artificial intelligence and robotics. While US counterparts have largely shifted focus toward large language models, Chinese startups have taken the lead in hardware development. Zhou notes that the valuation gap between Chinese and US primary markets has been effectively erased, driven by China’s urgent need to address manufacturing labour shortages as younger generations become less willing to work in factories.

To address international concerns regarding quality, LinkerBot is offering buyers up to a year to exchange products. Zhou envisions a future where robots eventually replace human labour, with AI and automation making goods and services so abundant that work becomes unnecessary. However, he acknowledges that such a transition will likely persist alongside significant inequality, with access to advanced technology remaining unevenly distributed.