Ant Group robotics unit Lingbo opens its first funding round, targets 1.5 billion yuan

Ant Group’s (HK: 6688) Lingbo Technologies recently started its first external funding round, aiming to raise 1.5 billion yuan ($206 million). 

The company intends to hold a second funding round before the end of 2026, which would make it the fastest funding round of any startup in China’s robot-brain sector. 

Why is Lingbo focusing on robot brains? 

Lingbo Technologies, which has been fully funded by its parent company Ant Group since its launch, has started its first outside fundraising round and is looking to raise 1.5 billion yuan (about $206 million). The company has shared its plans to hold a second funding round before the end of 2026. 

The decision to seek outside money is due to the budget pressure that Ant Group is currently facing on computing resources. The company is also pouring money into AI projects in other parts of the business. Notably, analysts say Ant has already put more money into Lingbo than a typical top startup would raise in its early rounds. 

Lingbo’s main focus is on building the “brain” for robots. This means the software and AI models that help robots perceive the world, make decisions, and take actions. Lingbo is betting that a single, powerful “brain” can work with many different robot bodies. 

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