China's JAKA Robotics raised $148m from SoftBank, Temasek

Collaborative robots safe enough to work alongside humans in high demand

A JAKA Robotics demonstration unit picks up a box at the World Robot Conference in Beijing in 2019. The Shanghai-based startup has funding to step up production of collaborative robots that are safe around people. © Reuters

NORIYUKI DOI, Nikkei staff writer

July 20, 2022 19:28 JST

SHANGHAI -- Chinese startup JAKA Robotics announced on Wednesday that it has secured a total of 1 billion yuan ($148 million) from SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and other investors to step up its development and marketing of collaborative robots that work in the same space as humans.

The Shanghai-based company founded in 2014 raised funds from Singapore's Temasek Holdings and Prosperity 7 Ventures, a growth fund belonging to Aramco, Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company.