Pudu Robotics raises $150M, crosses $1.5B valuation as cleaning robots drive 100% growth
What’s the deal? Pudu Robotics has raised nearly $150M in a new funding round, pushing its valuation past $1.5B and bringing total funding to over $300M. The Shenzhen-based company, founded in 2016 by Felix ZhangDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, makes service robots for delivery, commercial cleaning, and industrial logistics. Investor names were not disclosed.
Revenue doubled in 2025, with commercial cleaning robots driving over 70% of sales. The company holds roughly 23% of the global commercial service robotics market, according to industry research it cited.
Why now? Pudu is riding a convergence of two trends: embodied AI and the global labour shortage in low-wage service jobs. Its “One Brain, Multiple Embodiments” architecture allows a single AI system to power specialised robots, semi-humanoid robots, and fully humanoid robots from the same platform.
The company is also expanding aggressively beyond China. It recently established a US headquarters and has deployments with CarrefourDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, WalmartDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and EdekaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Industrial delivery robots have seen rapid adoption, with over 4,000 units shipped within a year of launch.
What could go wrong? Pudu is a Chinese company entering a geopolitically sensitive market at a difficult moment. US–China trade tensions and scrutiny of Chinese tech firms could complicate its expansion into Western markets, particularly with a new US headquarters.
The service robotics market is also getting crowded. Competitors range from well-funded Chinese rivals to Western startups and incumbents building their own automation solutions. Pudu’s 23% market share claim, while impressive, is self-reported and may not account for the rapid entry of new players.
The signal: The unicorn valuation marks a milestone for commercial service robotics — a sector that has long been overshadowed by autonomous vehicles and industrial automation in investor attention. Pudu’s 100% revenue growth in 2025 suggests that the economics of deploying robots in retail, hospitality, and logistics are finally working at scale.
Zhang’s stated ambition — building a global network of smart robots serving 10 billion people — is audacious. But with cleaning robots already generating the bulk of revenue and industrial logistics growing fast, Pudu is proving that commercial service robotics can be a real business, not just a demo.
Sources:
Pudu Robotics
Tech in Asia
The AI Insider
StartupRise
Pandaily
Straits Times
Image credit:
Pudu Robotics
J.V.
