RobCo passes $1 billion valuation as investors pile into physical AI

German robotics startup RobCo is now valued at more than $1 billion. That is roughly double where it stood at the start of 2026. The jump came through a secondary share sale announced on October 5, 2026. It lands while investors are pouring money into what the industry calls physical AI: software that does not just think, but moves things around in the real world. How RobCo got to unicorn status The Munich-based company raised $40 million in the latest transaction. Most of that came from employees selling their shares to a mix of new and returning investors. In a typical primary round, a startup issues new shares and the cash lands on its balance sheet. In a secondary, existing holders sell stakes they already own. Since this deal ran mainly through employee sales, much of the $40 million likely flowed to staff rather than into company coffers. Buyers agreed to terms implying a valuation above $1 billion, compared with roughly $500 million in January 2026. That January figure came with RobCo’s last major funding event: a $100 million Series C. So the company went from a half-billion-dollar valuation to unicorn territory in about nine months, without a fresh priced primary round. Ne...