In 2025, capital chased complete humanoid robots — a walking, talking demo unit could raise hundreds of millions. In 2026, the money has pivoted to a single component: the dexterous hand, what the industry calls the “last millimetre” of robot-world interaction.
The numbers are stark. According to IT Juzi data cited by OFweek, China’s dexterous-hand sector raised RMB 16.9 billion across all of 2025. In the first half of 2026 alone, funding surpassed RMB 25 billion — a 48% jump over the previous full year.
Two companies define the frenzy. AGILINK, spun out of humanoid maker AgiBot in January, closed four funding rounds in five months, with its latest round approaching RMB 1 billion and a post-money valuation above $1 billion — the fastest unicorn in the segment’s history. Its backers include Baidu, Hillhouse’s GL Ventures, BlueRun Ventures and state-linked funds. Notably, AGILINK is not a story stock: it reported operating profitability in Q1 2026, with over 8,000 OmniHand dexterous hands and 10,000+ industrial grippers delivered.
The second is Linkerbot, the global leader in high-degree-of-freedom hands (up to 42 DoF), which holds over 80% of the global market in its class and is the only maker producing 1,000+ high-DoF units monthly. It is reportedly targeting a $6 billion valuation (about RMB 41 billion) in its next round — on par with the IPO valuation of humanoid leader Unitree. China has over 150 humanoid-robot makers; one hand maker is now worth more than 146 of them.
The capital wave extends down the chain: Shenzhen-based tactile-sensing firm PaXini closed a RMB 1 billion-plus Series B in March, and component makers Zhaowei Electromechanical and Leadshine have taken strategic investment.
Why hands? Because after locomotion and balance were largely solved, commercial viability now hinges on fine manipulation. Traditional two-finger grippers and vacuum suckers handle single-purpose picking; a dexterous hand with multiple actuators, micro-sensors and precision transmission can adapt to dozens of object types — the entry ticket to flexible manufacturing, logistics sorting and household service. GGII data confirms the inflection: China sold 19,200 dexterous hands in 2025, up 237% year-on-year, with 70,200 units forecast for 2026 and 430,000 by 2030 — an 87% compound growth rate.
Investor diligence has also matured. In 2025, a team’s academic pedigree and a demo video could close a round. In 2026, the checklist is production capacity, real orders, delivery volume and near-term profitability. Pure-PPT projects no longer raise.
The warning label: most players in the segment still have no proven profit model, price competition is compressing margins, and four bottlenecks — hardware durability, training data, algorithms and deployment scenarios — remain unsolved. When the tide recedes, companies that cannot mass-produce or commercialise will be washed out. The gold rush is real; so is the coming shakeout.
Read the original report (OFweek Robotics)
*Translated and adapted from OFweek Robotics (https://robot.ofweek.com/2026-07/ART-8321203-12001-30695170.html).*