London-based robotics company Humanoid has reached a $1.35 billion valuation just two years after its founding, positioning it among Europe’s newest robotics unicorns. Founded by CEO Artem Sokolov in 2024, the company has raised about $270 million and employs more than 250 people across London and North America, tells Forbes.com (full article available to subscribers).
Humanoid is initially focusing on industrial automation rather than general-purpose household robots. Its HMND 01 platform combines a humanoid upper body and two arms with a wheeled base. The company says this configuration can address about 90% of industrial use cases while avoiding the complexity and potential failures associated with bipedal locomotion.
The robots run on Humanoid’s internally developed KinetIQ AI framework. Its KinetIQ Ascend reinforcement-learning system trains robots through simulation and real-world experience. According to Sokolov, robots performing some trained tasks have reached approximately 1.5 times human speed with success rates as high as 99%.
Rather than manufacturing everything internally, Humanoid is building an industrial partnership network. Bosch serves as its European contract manufacturer, while Schaeffler is an investor, component supplier, and major customer. Humanoid has also completed pilots with Siemens, SAP, Ford, Bosch, and Schaeffler.
Commercial interest is substantial but remains preliminary. Humanoid reports more than 34,000 nonbinding preorders representing approximately $2.4 billion in potential business. Its deployment process begins with short proofs of concept, followed by longer pilots and eventual commercial installations.
The company plans to introduce its Beta robot in the fourth quarter of 2026 and manufacture several hundred units with Bosch in 2027. Its more ambitious target is 150,000 robots in 2030. Customers will be able to purchase robots outright or use a Robot-as-a-Service model, with Humanoid targeting a payback period of about one year.
The challenge now is converting impressive funding, pilots, and nonbinding preorders into reliable industrial deployments at scale.
