SoftBank, it seems, is not done buying robots. The Japanese group is in early talks to back a new funding round of around $800m (€700m) for Agile Robots, the Munich startup that builds robot arms, warehouse machines, and humanoids, according to Bloomberg.
SoftBank would contribute more than $300m of that total, people familiar with the discussions told the outlet, though they cautioned that the talks are at an early stage and the amounts and terms could still change.
Neither company would comment, and the round has not been independently confirmed beyond Bloomberg’s reporting, so the figures are best read as a snapshot of a negotiation rather than a done deal. What is on firmer ground is the relationship behind it.
SoftBank led Agile Robots’ $220m Series C in 2021, the round that turned the company into Germany’s first robotics unicorn, so a fresh cheque would be a return to a name already in the portfolio rather than a new acquaintance.
The 💜 of EU techThe latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!Agile Robots was formed in 2018 by researchers from the German Aerospace Center, the country’s space agency, and it now employs more than 3,200 people across Germany, China, and India.
