Moqi hits ¥7B valuation with record ¥1B angel round from Alibaba, Tencent
What's the deal? Chinese embodied-intelligence startup Moqi Intelligent TechnologyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → (Morphi) has raised a 1 billion yuan (about $147 million) angel round co-led by Alibaba and Tencent. The deal values the company at 7 billion yuan and ranks among the largest first rounds ever disclosed in China's embodied-AI sector.
Who else joined? More than a dozen investors participated, including Lanchi VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Legend Capital, Huaye TianchengDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Gaorong Capital, CAS Star, Source Code Capital, Guanghe Ventures, Bairui CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and the 58 Industry FundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
What's the endgame? Moqi is building real-time embodied systems that tightly couple hardware, software, algorithms, and data. It plans to deploy robots in commercial service settings first, then move to homes — with the long-term aim of a self-evolving household robot.
Who's behind it? Founded in late 2025, the company is led by chief executive officer Gao Wenli, a co-founder of cross-border logistics firm iMile, and chief technology officer Huang Qingqiu, who previously headed AI for HuaweiDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s smart-driving unit. The team is porting proven autonomous-driving methods — data loops, on-device model optimisation, and mass-production quality control — into embodied AI.
Why now? The raise lands amid a funding frenzy in Chinese embodied intelligence. IT Juzi data cited by local media counts roughly 370 deals worth over 40 billion yuan since 2025, as capital and top autonomous-driving and robotics talent flow toward a handful of leading projects.
What could go wrong? Moqi, founded in late 2025, is pre-revenue, betting on a technically hard "software-hardware integration" path. The same rush of money fuelling record rounds has also raised concerns about crowded competition and stretched valuations.
What's next? The company says it will step up investment in its embodied foundation model and data-loop infrastructure, and accelerate deployment in commercial service scenarios before targeting homes.
The signal: By setting a record for a disclosed first round in Chinese embodied AI, Moqi shows investors are concentrating capital in a few headline teams rather than spreading bets — a sign the sector's boom is entering a winner-takes-most phase.
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Image credit: Brett Jordan