Report: Q3 robotics startup funding jumps 185%, with China and the US leading physical AI development

October 28 — According to Crunchbase data, global venture capital investment in robotics startups reached $9.9 billion in the third quarter of 2026, more than double the $4.3 billion recorded in Q3 2025, a year-over-year increase of about 185%. Robotics funding grew about 185% year over year in the first three quarters of 2026, staying close to or above $10 billion for several consecutive quarters.

Most robotics funding this year was concentrated in China and the United States: China received $13.2 billion and the US $12.1 billion, while Germany ranked third with $1.7 billion. China's largest rounds include the $900 million raised by Guangzhou XPeng Robotics and a $736 million Series C for Shenzhen-based AI² Robotics. On the US side, Travis Kalanick's Atoms and Pittsburgh-based Skild AI both closed billion-dollar rounds, with Skild AI raising $1.4 billion for Skild Brain, its robotics foundation model. Germany's Neura Robotics raised $1.4 billion for cognitive robots.