DeepSeek leads funding round valuing a Chinese robot AI startup at $400 million

DeepSeek is now writing checks, not just cashing them. The Hangzhou-based AI lab has led a funding round that values a Chinese robot AI startup at $400 million. The investment comes only months after DeepSeek closed its first-ever external funding round. In mid-June 2026, the lab raised approximately 50 billion yuan, or nearly $7.4 billion. That round set a post-money valuation near 400 billion yuan, around $59 billion. Founder Liang Wenfeng personally put in roughly 20 billion yuan, a sizable share of the total raise. In August 2026, DeepSeek paid 140.8 million yuan, approximately $20.8 million, for a 2.31% stake in Unitree Robotics. Unitree is one of China’s best-known makers of legged and humanoid robots. Unitree was valued at approximately 61 billion yuan, about $9 billion, at its IPO on the STAR Market. The research around the Unitree deal frames it as part of a push into AI for robotics. That includes joint work on advanced AI models built for humanoid machines. The new $400 million startup round fits that same template. It gives DeepSeek another seat at the table where AI software meets physical machines. One naming note is worth flagging. Deep Robotics, a separate Chinese c...