DeepSeek leads $400M seed for Winverse, China’s robot AI play
DeepSeek has agreed to lead a $400 million seed round for Winverse AI, a Chinese robotics startup founded by ex-Tencent scientist Hu Han, Bloomberg reported.
Meituan is also participating, according to earlier reports from 247WallSt. Few details about Winverse’s specific plans have been disclosed, though its founding team’s background may point toward work in areas like AI and robotics.
The round follows recent activity in the space. When we covered Zenithon’s seed on 30 September, the lab was building AI world models for robotics. Tangent Robotics raised $4.5 million the same week to improve robotic dexterity, while TacnIQ.ai secured $1.5 million on 23 September for tactile AI.
DeepSeek’s involvement in the round could reflect broader trends in AI investment, though its own focus has previously been on language models. The company’s directory listing notes its V4 models are priced competitively, which may contrast with the capital needs of hardware-focused startups.
Investors may watch how the startup progresses, given the challenges of early-stage robotics development. The size of the round also raises questions about how such deals might shape the funding landscape for similar companies.
Sources: thenextweb.com
“Reports suggest the round could signal growing interest in early-stage robotics AI, though details on the startup’s focus and valuation structure remain limited.”
Read the original reporting
The outlets below did the original reporting.
Related briefs
This brief was drafted automatically from the sources above and published under our editorial policy. Spotted an error? Tell us.