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Agile Robots Raises $500 Million at $8.5 Billion Valuation as SoftBank and NVIDIA Back European Physical AI
SoftBank leads a $500 million Series F in the Munich-based German Aerospace Center spin-out, joined by NVIDIA, Hitachi, and T.Capital, bringing total funding to roughly $2 billion.
Mainstay Communications Team · · 4 min read
In brief
Agile Robots SE, the German Aerospace Center spin-out that has deployed more than 20,000 industrial robotic solutions worldwide, closed a $500 million Series F at an $8.5 billion valuation on November 12, 2026. SoftBank led the round for the second time, with NVIDIA, Hitachi Group, Hitachi Ventures, and T.Capital co-investing. The Munich company operates a Fürstenfeldbruck factory rated at up to 10,000 humanoid robots per year and plans to use the new capital to expand into the United States and scale production in Germany.
The Round
Agile Robots SE announced the $500 million Series F on November 12, 2026, setting a post-money valuation of $8.5 billion and pushing total capital raised to roughly $2 billion. SoftBank Group led the round. NVIDIA, Hitachi Group (through Hitachi Ventures), and T.Capital participated.
The company plans to use the proceeds to expand into the United States, hire more engineers, and scale manufacturing in Germany.
Dennis Chang, managing partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers, described the rationale in a statement: "Agile Robots combines deep robotics expertise with the ability to execute at industrial scale."
The Company
Agile Robots was founded in 2018 as a spin-out from the German Aerospace Center (DLR). CEO Dr. Zhaopeng Chen built the company around force-sensitive manipulation: the ability of a robot arm to control how much force it applies to a given component. That capability originated at DLR in space and surgical applications before moving into industrial production.
The company employs more than 3,500 people from nearly 60 countries, with more than 2,000 in research and development. Its patent portfolio exceeds 650 filings.
Agile's subsidiary structure spans the full robot stack: Franka Robotics for research arms, Idealworks for autonomous mobile robots, BÄR Automation for systems integration, and Krause Automation for production systems, the last acquired from thyssenkrupp.
The Products
The flagship arm is the Diana 7, a 7-axis model with torque sensors on every joint, deployed in automotive and electronics assembly lines. The company's humanoid line centers on the Agile ONE: 174 cm tall, 69 kg, with a payload capacity of up to 20 kg and a walking speed of up to 2 m/s.
Two companion platforms extend the line. The Agile ONE S, a compact model at roughly 1.4 meters, targets research labs and universities. The Agile ONE SN is configured around NVIDIA's Jetson Thor computer and Isaac GR00T 1.7 AI models, with 71 degrees of freedom, letting researchers run foundation models directly on the hardware. Agile Robots plans to begin deliveries in early 2027 and hasn't disclosed production volumes.
The Factory
Agile opened a manufacturing facility in Fürstenfeldbruck, near Munich, earlier in 2026. The plant's stated capacity reaches up to 10,000 legged and wheeled humanoid robots per year. The company hasn't disclosed actual shipment figures.
Revenue context comes mostly from outside sources. Agile put its own revenue at roughly €200 million in a June 2025 announcement. Research firm Sacra estimates 2025 revenue at $339 million, up 51% year-over-year, with internal guidance of $690 million for 2026. Agile hasn't confirmed those figures independently.
The Investor Thesis
SoftBank's return to Agile is deliberate. The firm led the company's September 2021 Series C at $220 million, a round that valued Agile at roughly $1 billion and made it Germany's first robotics unicorn. Five years later, SoftBank is backing it again at nearly 9 times that valuation.
Hitachi signed a physical AI partnership with Agile in September 2026, 2 months before joining the Series F. The timing suggests commercial validation preceded the investment decision. NVIDIA's position is structural: the Agile ONE SN runs on Jetson Thor hardware and Isaac GR00T software, giving NVIDIA an infrastructure stake in every unit that ships.
Bloomberg reported in June 2026 that SoftBank was in early talks to anchor a larger round of roughly $800 million. The round that closed came in smaller, with the final terms confirmed on November 12.
The Industry Read
Agile's round arrives as capital concentrates in a handful of physical AI platforms positioned for production scale. The pattern in the humanoid sector has been consistent: investors back companies with real factory output and paying customers over those with compelling prototypes alone.
Agile's argument is the 20,000 deployed solutions. Most are arms and mobile robots in automotive and electronics lines. The Fürstenfeldbruck plant, the NVIDIA-integrated product line, and the Hitachi commercial partnership give the humanoid line a production and commercial foundation most peers are still building.
The European dimension carries its own weight. Robotics investment has concentrated in the United States and China. A German company with DLR heritage, more than 650 patents, and $2 billion in institutional backing is now the most capitalized physical AI platform headquartered outside those 2 centers. Dr. Chen put the company's direction plainly: "Physical AI will fundamentally change how the world builds, moves and makes things."
Sources
- Agile Robots Raises $500M Funding Led by SoftBank at $8.5B Valuation, SiliconANGLE
- Agile Robots Raises $500M Series F: Humanoid Factory Capacity Is Public, Shipment Count Is Not, TechTimes
- Agile Robots $500 Million Series F Led By SoftBank With Nvidia Participation At $8.5 Billion Valuation, Pulse2
- Agile Robots Raises $500 Million at $8.5 Billion Valuation, Humanoids Daily
Companies mentioned
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