Chinese robotics firm Unitree eyeing $7-B IPO valuation

China’s Unitree Robotics is looking at a company valuation of as much as 50 billion yuan ($7 billion) for its planned initial public offering (IPO), two people with knowledge of the plans of one of the country’s newest and most high-profile startups said.

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Unitree’s robots captured the popular imagination globally after the company released videos last year that showed them with human-like capabilities, such as walking, climbing and carrying loads.

Its founder, Wang Xingxing, along with artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek, was among a handful of executives who attended a rare meeting with President Xi Jinping in February, in what was seen as a turning point for China’s policies for the technology sector.

The popularity of startups including Unitree and DeepSeek comes as China is investing billions of dollars in robotics, semiconductor and AI, amid an ageing population and growing competition with the US over advanced technologies.

Unitree said last week on its X account that it was actively advancing the IPO preparations and was expecting to submit the listing application documents in the fourth quarter of the year.

It did not provide other details, including a timeline for a potential listing.