We Are Under-Investing In Robotics ... 90% Of Humanoid Robots Are Made In China

InnovationConsumer TechWe Are Under-Investing In Robotics ... 90% Of Humanoid Robots Are Made In ChinaByJohn Koetsier,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Journalist, analyst, author, podcaster.Follow AuthorApr 21, 2026, 03:23pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.The United States is under-investing in robots, according to a new report by Bessemer Venture Partners, as China leads shipments of humanoid robots with 90% of the market.AFP via Getty ImagesWe’re not investing nearly enough in robotics, says a major venture capital firm, as it notes that last year 90% of all humanoid robots built and shipped were from China.“In the past five years, 745 software companies have raised more than $30M,” says a new report from Bessemer Venture Partners. “The equivalent figure for robotics is 42—18 times fewer funded companies in a sector where the underlying market is 30 times larger than software spend globally.”Most analysts predict 50X growth in the robotics space over the decade, the report adds, and “there will be 100,000x more robots on Earth in the next 10-20 years,” says Jeremy Levine, a partner at Bessemer.That alone points to a structurally under-invested ecosystem, but there’s yet another factor: geopolitics.As the report mentions and as I’ve covered previously, almost 90% of all humanoid robots shipped in 2025 were made in China. That’s staggering domination, even though the humanoid space is young and still developing. In ecosystem mapping that I’ve personally done, it’s clear that the vast majority of humanoid robotics companies are headquartered in China: I’ve found 161 in China while the United States has far fewer.(One caveat: it’s important to note that humanoids make up only a fraction of the entire robotics space. They just happen to be currently the sexiest and most-hyped sector.)Bessemer highlights that Chinese dominati...