Neura Robotics Raising €1B for Humanoids
German robotics startup Neura Robotics is raising a massive ~€1 billion ($1.2B) round led by Tether, pushing its valuation to €4 billion. The funds are earmarked to scale production of its 4NE-1 humanoid robot, which features AI-powered enhancements for a planned global rollout.
This latest funding round follows a €120 million investment in January 2025, which was led by Lingotto Investment Management, a subsidiary of Exor. That round also included investors like the Volvo Cars Tech Fund. This history of attracting capital from both investment management firms and corporate venture arms highlights a broad base of investor confidence in Neura's technology and vision. The company was founded in 2019 by David Reger with the mission of developing cognitive robots that can see, hear, and sense their environment. This approach is designed to allow the robots to learn from experience and operate safely alongside humans without being pre-programmed for every specific task. Reger's vision is to create a "smartphone with arms and legs" by integrating sensors, AI software, and hardware into a single device. Neura's flagship humanoid robot, the 4NE-1, stands 180 cm tall, weighs 80 kg, and is designed to operate in human environments. It features advanced 3D vision, force-torque sensors for a sense of touch, and a unique touchless human detection sensor for safety. The robot's design includes interchangeable forearms, allowing for customization for a variety of tasks in both industrial and domestic settings. The company already has a significant order book, with CEO David Reger stating that orders neared $1 billion in 2024 from clients such as Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Omron. To meet this demand, Neura is decentralizing its operations, with R&D in Zurich to be near "Robotics Valley," and manufacturing partnerships in India and China. This investment is part of a broader trend of Tether diversifying its reserves into "frontier tech." The stablecoin issuer has previously invested in brain-computer interface company Blackrock Neurotech and another Italian robotics startup, Generative Bionics. This move into robotics and AI aligns with CEO Paolo Ardoino's belief in a future populated by trillions of AI agents and billions of robots. Neura Robotics is developing an entire ecosystem called Neuraverse, intended to be a scalable app store for robotics. This platform allows partners and developers to license Neura's technology, build their own robotic applications, and contribute to a shared data pool for machine learning, aiming for an "iPhone moment in robotics."
