Softbank in talks to acquire majority stake in humanoid robot startup 1X at $6B valuation
创业邦 · wechat · 2026-08-27
Softbank Group is negotiating to acquire a majority stake in 1X Technologies, a humanoid robot startup, in a deal that would value the company at approximately $6 billion, according to TheInformation. Discussions are ongoing and terms could change.
Founded in 2014 (originally Halodi Robotics), 1X shifted focus from industrial to home robots. It received funding from OpenAI's startup fund in 2023 (OpenAI's first hardware investment). In 2024, it launched the bipedal NEO Beta, which opened for pre-orders in October 2025 at $20,000 or a $499/month subscription. The company also struck a deal with EQT to deploy up to 10,000 NEO units to its portfolio companies between 2026 and 2030.
Softbank has a long history in robotics, having previously acquired Aldebaran (Pepper robot) and Boston Dynamics. However, Pepper production was halted, and Boston Dynamics was later sold to Hyundai Motor.
More from Venture
- Dev vibe-codes open-source newsletter platform, 83% cheaper than Beehiiv from $19/mo — marclou · 2026-10-15
- Why data companies are printing money: labs pay millions for env-shaped nails — sarahookr · 2026-10-15
- marclou shows off DataFast's live visitor globe: 699 concurrent on one site — marclou · 2026-10-15
- A $15k AI SEO client-finding system built on Claude, free to download — aryanXmahajan · 2026-10-15
- One product photo plus one Seedance 2.5 prompt yields a full 15-second commercial — CurieuxExplorer · 2026-10-15
- Pure-play AI firms' combined revenue — $500B or $1T — will decide if AGI takes off this decade — Jsevillamol · 2026-10-15