LinkerBot: Chinese Startup Building Robotic Hands at $6 Billion Valuation

The Story

LinkerBot, a Chinese startup founded in 2023 by 40-year-old Zhou Yong, manufactures dexterous humanoid hands with five fingers and at least 11 joints, sold for as little as $600 in China. The company reported shipping 10,000 robotic hands last year, which it says represents 80 percent of worldwide demand. LinkerBot completed six fundraising rounds in 13 months from investors including the Chinese government, Alibaba’s Ant Group, and HongShan Capital, and is now seeking a $6 billion valuation — double what it was worth a few months ago. The startup is reportedly exploring a Hong Kong initial public offering, though Zhou declined to comment. Zhou predicts the price of a hand will fall to $200 in three to five years, and that eventually “everyone will own 10 robots on average.” By specializing in hands rather than full humanoids, LinkerBot avoids direct competition with firms like Unitree and Tesla, and offers international buyers up to a year to exchange products. Zhou envisions a three-stage rollout of humanoid robots — from entertainment to defined jobs to complex home environments — and believes robots will eventually “completely replace” humans.

Key Facts

• LinkerBot was founded in 2023 by Zhou Yong, 40, who serves as founder and chief technology officer.
• The company’s hands have five fingers and at least 11 joints, and are sold for as little as $600 in China.
• LinkerBot says it shipped 10,000 robotic hands last year, representing 80% of global demand.
• The startup completed six rounds of fundraising in 13 months from investors including the Chinese government, Alibaba’s Ant Group, and HongShan Capital.
• LinkerBot is seeking a new financing round at a $6 billion valuation, double its previous valuation.
• The company is reportedly exploring a Hong Kong IPO, according to Bloomberg; Zhou declined to comment.
• Linker Hand products range from $600 to $15,000, depending on joints and dexterity.
• Zhou predicted the price of a hand will fall to $200 in three to five years.
• Zhou sold a previous autonomous driving startup in 2019 before focusing on robotics.
• LinkerBot uses its own robotic hands in its assembly lines to make more hands.
• Clients include research labs, manufacturers, and other humanoid robot makers.
• The company offers international buyers up to a year to exchange products.

Conflicting Reports

No conflicting reports identified in the source article.

Still Unclear

It is unclear when or if LinkerBot will proceed with a Hong Kong IPO, and how the company plans to achieve the projected price reduction to $200 per hand.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

• Zhou Yong – Founder and chief technology officer of LinkerBot, age 40.
• Hong Shangguan – Veteran investor in China’s tech industry, former partner at Legend Capital.
• Rui Ma – Founder of independent research firm Tech Buzz China.
• Elon Musk – Quoted in the article regarding hands as the majority of engineering difficulty (not interviewed by WIRED for this story).

Sources: Wired