Young Chinese physical AI company focused on retail floor robots
Headquarters
China
Employee
—
Models here
1
Listings
0
Striding AI was founded in early 2026 in China, making it one of the youngest companies in the embodied intelligence field. It was founded by serial entrepreneur Yao Song, who previously led AI chip company DeePhi Tech and co-founded space company Orienspace; co-initiators include Tsinghua researcher Yu Chao and Thai CP Group. As early as June 2026, the company raised nearly 100 million US dollars in a seed round, with investors including CP Group, Huaqin Technology, and Jiuan Medical. The company has not yet published information about employee count or headquarters.
The focus is on world models for actions and reinforcement learning—software that allows robots to navigate cluttered environments independently. Striding AI first showed its own hardware in October 2026: the bipedal humanoid H1 at approximately 1.4 meters tall with 26 degrees of freedom, the wheeled arm robot C1 for shelf and checkout work, and the platform M1 for managing entire fleets. An A1 model for fine manipulation is also announced. All devices are designed to fit into existing stores without requiring shelf or layout modifications.
The company is focused on retail rather than manufacturing, which sets it apart from most Chinese humanoid manufacturers. With CP Group behind it, it has direct access to one of Asia's largest retail networks, which greatly facilitates pilot projects. Commercial service is announced for 2027, with sales planned either directly or as Robotics as a Service subscriptions. However, how robust the technology is in everyday use remains to be seen, as neither prices nor independent deployment reports are available yet.
H1
Humanoid · bipedal, retail deployment
C1
Wheeled arm robot · shelf and checkout
A1
Precision manipulation · announced
M1
Platform · fleet management
Company founded in early 2026 in China.
Seed round of nearly 100 million US dollars in June.
Introduction of H1, C1, and M1 in October at APRCE in Shanghai.
No distribution partner is currently known in Switzerland. Commercial service is generally announced for 2027 onwards.