SoftBank in Talks to Lead $800M Funding for AI Robotics Startup Agile Robots

Founded in 2018, Agile Robots has grown significantly since its last major SoftBank-backed round . The company, which produces robot arms, warehouse machines, and humanoid robots, has deployed over 20,000 systems globally and generated approximately €200 million in annual revenue in 2024 . Prior to this newly reported round, Agile Robots had raised more than $270 million in total funding .

A central element of Agile Robots' recent trajectory is a strategic research partnership with Google DeepMind, announced on March 24, 2026 . The collaboration aims to integrate Google's Gemini robotics models into Agile Robots' hardware and software systems, combining cutting-edge AI research with established industrial deployment capabilities .

The Broader Strategy: Building a Physical AI Empire

The reported talks with Agile Robots are a single piece of a much larger, aggressive strategy by SoftBank's founder and CEO, Masayoshi Son, to dominate the emerging field of "Physical AI"—the fusion of artificial intelligence and robotics.

• ABB Robotics ($5.4 Billion): In a landmark deal signed on October 8, 2025, SoftBank Group Corp. agreed to acquire Swiss engineering giant ABB's entire robotics division for an enterprise value of $5.375 billion . The transaction, expected to close in mid-to-late 2026 pending regulatory approvals, gives SoftBank immediate access to a massive industrial robotics customer base, a 7,000-employee workforce, and technology that generated $2.3 billion in sales in 2024 . Unlike its investment in Agile Robots, which was conducted through the SoftBank Vision Fund, the ABB acquisition was made directly by SoftBank Group, signaling a deep long-term commitment to the sector .

• Skild AI ($1.4 Billion): On January 14, 2026, SoftBank led a massive $1.4 billion Series C round for Skild AI, a Pittsburgh-based startup developing a scalable foundation model for general-purpose robotics . The round, which included participation from NVIDIA, Macquarie, and Jeff Bezos, catapulted Skild AI's valuation to over $14 billion—more than triple its valuation from just seven months prior . This investment placed SoftBank firmly at the center of the race to build the "brain" for a future generation of adaptable robots.

• Agility Robotics Approach: Further underscoring its appetite for the sector, SoftBank also reportedly held acquisition talks with humanoid robot maker Agility Robotics for over $900 million earlier in 2025 before pivoting to a strategic investment in the company's funding round .

These moves form a coherent portfolio that spans industrial robot manufacturing (ABB), AI foundation models for robotics (Skild AI), and advanced robotic systems with integrated AI partnerships (Agile Robots). The potential Agile Robots round shows that SoftBank continues to pursue this vision at every layer of the robotics stack, from hardware production to core AI intelligence.