Insider Brief
- Artificial intelligence continues to dominate venture capital investment, but investor attention is increasingly concentrating on industrial humanoid robotics, raising concerns that capital is outpacing commercial readiness.
- Aneli Capital cites data from KPMG, PitchBook, and CB Insights showing AI captured more than half of global VC funding this year, with industrial humanoid robotics recording 17 deals in the most recent quarter—more than any other AI category.
- The firm cautions that while AI advances are expanding humanoids’ potential, limited real-world deployment, unresolved technical challenges, and weak near-term revenue models risk pushing the segment into speculative territory.
Artificial intelligence continues to dominate venture capital investment, but new data suggest investor enthusiasm is increasingly concentrating in industrial humanoid robotics, a shift that some investors warn could push the sector into speculative territory before its commercial foundations are in place.
Aneli Capital points out recent venture capital reports from KPMG and PitchBook show AI accounted for more than half of all global VC investment this year. Within that surge, however, CB Insights data indicate that capital is flowing disproportionately toward humanoid robotics, a subsector benefiting from advances in AI but still struggling to demonstrate scalable revenue. Industrial humanoid robotics recorded 17 venture deals in the most recent quarter, more than any other AI-related category, surpassing funding activity in coding agents and end-to-end software development tools.
“Many AI startups that can’t yet generate revenue will fail, but we’re reaching a consensus on that in the market. While the same risks persist in humanoid robotics, many investors tend to overlook this,” said Daiva Rakauskaitė, the partner and manager of Aneli Capital, a company that manages a €35 million fund for early-stage Central and Eastern European startups. “However, it is important to distinguish robotics from humanoid robotics; industrial and logistics robots already generate revenue and can deliver measurable results, while humanoids can’t yet prove their commercial value.”
The pace of investment has already drawn caution from policymakers. China’s economic planning authorities have warned that the humanoid robotics industry must balance rapid expansion with the risk of asset bubbles, according to Bloomberg. Similar concerns are emerging among venture investors as capital accelerates faster than real-world deployment.
According to Aneli Capital, with many startups attracting funding before establishing sustainable business models, the firm expects a shakeout in AI over the next several years. Humanoid robotics is particularly exposed due to its high technical complexity and long commercialization timelines.
Aneli Capital draws a distinction between established robotics segments and humanoid systems. Industrial and logistics robots already generate revenue and deliver measurable operational gains, while humanoid robots remain largely unproven commercially despite rapid progress in demonstrations and prototypes. Viral videos of robots running, boxing or performing acrobatics have fueled investor interest, but practical use cases remain limited.
CB Insights reports that even industrial humanoid robotics faces persistent challenges related to real-time decision-making, dexterity, system reliability and cost. These constraints restrict early deployments to tightly controlled environments such as factories and warehouses, narrowing the path to near-term revenue.
Aneli Capital argues that venture investors should emphasize fundamentals over momentum, particularly as hype intensifies. The firm advocates a revenue-first approach, prioritizing clear monetization strategies, early licensing or partnership models, and realistic deployment goals rather than growth driven solely by capital inflows.
Despite concerns about humanoid robotics, Aneli Capital remains optimistic about the broader robotics sector, where declining hardware costs and incremental AI advances are accelerating adoption in industrial and commercial settings. The firm sees strong opportunity for robotics startups in Central and Eastern Europe, citing proximity to Germany’s industrial base and a deep pool of underutilized engineering talent.
The firm views disciplined capital and long-term backing as essential to producing durable innovation as AI and robotics move from experimentation toward real-world deployment.
