Lumistar raises $10M for AI sports training hardware, backed by Oasis and Monolith
What's the deal? Chinese startup LumistarDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → (晓智星辰) has raised $10 million across multiple early-stage rounds from Oasis CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Monolith (谜思资本)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The company, incubated by Houxue CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, is positioning itself as an AI sports and wellbeing platform selling smart training hardware to consumers.
What's the endgame? Lumistar has shipped two products in a year. Its TERO tennis ball machine, priced at US$811.1 for the standard version, went from concept in April 2025 to mass production a year later.
The company reports TERO topped its domestic category in sales during China's June 618 shopping event, shipping roughly 2,000 units in a single week, with a second-half target in the tens of thousands.
What's next? Its second product, the CARRY basketball training robot, raised $1.34 million on Kickstarter in July 2026 and is due to ship in batches from November. The 35kg machine is aimed at overseas users with backyards and carries a crowdfunding price of $2,399.
Where does the money go? Funds will support product development and iteration, plus deeper exploration of AI sports technology. Lumistar has already launched an NTRP AI rating system and a progression-based training plan, and has hired AI talent from ByteDance.
The roughly 100-person team draws on staff from DJI, ByteDance, and XiaohongshuDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, with more than half in product and research. Its hardware lead worked on DJI's Mavic Mini — the company's first model to pass two million units sold — and Insta360's GO thumb cameras.
Why now? The tennis robot sector has heated up fast over the past year. From PongbotDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s viral crowdfunding in October 2024, at least seven players have emerged, with Pongbot, YinghansDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and GesongDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → each raising over US$13.8M.
The signal: Lumistar's bet is that AI ratings, training plans, and a shot-tracking community turn one-off hardware sales into lasting user relationships. In a crowded field, software stickiness — not just the machine — may decide who lasts.
Image credit: Lumistar
