China overtakes US in robotics race with 15 new unicorn startups in 2026

China has pulled ahead of the US in the global robotics startup race, producing nearly two-thirds of the world's new robotics unicorns in 2026 as investment in embodied AI continues to grow.

According to a report by investment research platform BestBrokers, the robotics sector produced 23 new unicorns—private startups valued at $1 billion or more—this year, making it the second-biggest sector for new unicorn creation after artificial intelligence (AI).

The report found that 15 of the 23 robotics unicorns were created in China, including one in Hong Kong, while the US produced six. Together, the two countries accounted for 21 of the 23 new robotics unicorns in 2026.

As a result, nearly two-thirds of all robotics startups to achieve unicorn status this year are Chinese, the report said.

Don't Miss: US-Iran war: Trump, team under scrutiny over allegations of playing the stock market; here’s what’s happening

The findings are based on Crunchbase's Unicorn Board, with additional data from PitchBook and other sources covering private company funding rounds and valuations through 2025 and 2026.

Robotics trails only AI

The report also added that the top 149 startups reached unicorn status so far in 2026, but few sectors have grown as quickly as robotics.

The top sectors by number of new unicorns this year are:

• AI – 36 startups worth $73.5 billion
• Robotics – 23 startups worth $39.9 billion
• HealthTech – 14 startups worth $22 billion
• Fintech – 11 startups worth $15.8 billion
• Defense & Security Tech – 11 startups worth $16.6 billion
• Enterprise Software – 10 startups worth $11.9 billion

(Data from BestBrokers)

China dominates the highest-valued robotics startups

China also leads the rankings of the most valuable robotics unicorns created this year.

The top newly minted robotics unicorns are:

• AI2 Robotics (China) – $3 billion
• X Square Robot (China) – $3 billion
• Xvariable Robot (China) – $2.9 billion
• Xinghaitu (China) – $2.9 billion
• Mind Robotics (US) – $2 billion
• Generalist (US) – $2 billion
• Sudu Technology (China) – $2 billion
• Bedrock Robotics (US) – $1.8 billion
• Rhoda AI (US) – $1.7 billion
• Sunday (US) – $1.5 billion
• DEEP Robotics (China) – $1.5 billion

UK and Japan also add robotics unicorns

Outside China and the US, Japan and the UK each produced one robotics unicorn in 2026.

The race to build the next generation of robotics companies is becoming increasingly concentrated in China and the US.

It highlighted that Humanoid, a UK-based startup, became Europe's first pure-play humanoid robotics unicorn after raising a $152 million Series A round in July, valuing the company at $1.35 billion.

Meanwhile, Tokyo-based Genki Robotics became one of the sector's fastest-growing companies after funding rounds completed in April valued the humanoid robotics startup at $1 billion.

Commenting on the findings, Alan Goldberg, lead data analyst at BestBrokers.com, said, "Many people have assumed that China's manufacturing strength would eventually give it an edge in robotics, and this year's unicorn data suggests that may already be happening. China accounts for nearly two-thirds of this year's newly minted robotics unicorns, but more importantly it is home to all four of the highest-valued new entrants, while these startups collectively command almost three times the valuation of their US counterparts. Investors appear to be betting that the next generation of AI won't just live on screens, it will be built into machines, and China is increasingly where those companies are emerging."