- Shanghai startup formalizes angel-round financing led by Ant Group
- China’s embodied AI funding boom continued into 2026 as investors poured billions into humanoid robotics
Ace Robotics (大晓无限机器人), a robotics startup chaired by former SenseTime co-founder Wang Xiaogang, has completed a business registration change that raised its registered capital to 154 million yuan ($22.63 million), adding an Ant Group subsidiary as a new shareholder.
The move formalizes the completion of the company’s previously announced angel round rather than a fresh financing deal.
Shanghai Yunyang Enterprise Management Consulting Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Ant Group, was added to the shareholder roster following the capital increase.
Ace Robotics announced the angel round on February 10, led by Ant Group, with participation from Qiming Venture Partners, Golden Vision Capital, Hony Capital, Lenovo Capital and Han Yuan Asset Management, a fund affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Existing investor SenseTime-backed SenseCapital also increased its stake.
The proceeds are being used to advance what the company describes as its human-centered ACE embodied full-stack AI framework, accelerate development of its so-called “Enlightenment” World Model 3.0 and support real-world deployment of its A1 embodied module.
Founded in July 2025, Ace Robotics focuses on intelligent robot development spanning industrial robots, consumer service robots and mechanical equipment research.
China’s embodied AI investment boom, which began in 2023, has extended into 2026. According to some market estimates, total industry financing exceeded 30 billion yuan in 2025. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, the sector recorded more than 100 financing deals approaching 20 billion yuan.
Two-pronged approach to embodied AI
Beyond Ace Robotics, Hangzhou-based Ant Group has also been stepping up external investments in embodied AI.
In March, its robotics unit Robbyant (蚂蚁灵波科技) signed a strategic partnership with Leju Robot (乐聚机器人) to develop embodied intelligence solutions for industrial and commercial applications.
People close to the matter told The Yangtzeer that the latest investment marks an important step for Ant Group in AI hardware and embodied intelligence, as competition in the sector increasingly shifts from standalone large-model development toward integrated ecosystems combining algorithms, hardware and real-world applications.
Industry analysts say the wave of capital pouring into humanoid robotics reflects growing confidence in embodied AI, though questions remain over whether commercialization and industrial maturity can keep pace with investor enthusiasm.
