Unitree IPO to test valuations as venture capital floods China robotics
The robot maker plans to raise 4.2 billion yuan by selling at least 40 million shares that implies a valuation of around 42 billion yuan
Unitree Robotics has secured approval from China’s securities regulator for a Shanghai initial public offering that is poised to set a valuation benchmark for China’s sizzling embodied AI sector.
The nod from the China Securities Regulatory Commission came about a month after the Hangzhou-based company cleared a review by the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s listing committee. Unitree is now finalising its underwriting plan, pricing and share subscriptions for a potential debut as early as late July.
The robot maker plans to raise about 4.2 billion yuan (US$618.4 million) by selling at least 40.4 million shares – a minimum 10 per cent stake that implies an initial valuation of around 42 billion yuan.
The proceeds will fund robot model development, robot-body research, new products and manufacturing capacity, according to its prospectus.
Unitree’s financials offer a rare look at a profitable player in the space. The company generated 1.7 billion yuan in revenue and 591 million yuan in adjusted profit last year.
By comparison, its listed peer, Hong Kong-traded UBTech Robotics, brought in 2 billion yuan in revenue last year but posted a net loss of roughly 700 million yuan. UBTech’s market capitalisation stood at about HK$54.8 billion (US$6.9 billion) as of Friday.