Stablecoin giant Tether is in talks to lead a billion-euro ($1.16 billion) funding round for Neura Robotics, a German startup developing AI-powered humanoid robots.
The potential deal would value Neura between 8 billion and 10 billion euros, the Financial Times reported, citing sources close to the negotiations. If finalized, the investment would represent a big increase from Neura’s last funding round in January, where it raised €120 million.
Tether did not confirm discussions with FT, but said it is “actively exploring numerous opportunities to continue investing in cutting-edge technologies.”
Neura’s main product is a humanoid robot designed for industrial use, with plans to expand into domestic environments. The company has publicly set a goal of producing 5 million robots by 2030 and is positioning its offering as a potential breakthrough, a so-called “iPhone moment” for robotics. It has already recorded 1 billion euros in orders, according to its January press release.
Tether’s expanding investment portfolio includes companies in the agriculture, brain technology, and sports sectors. The company made more than $10 billion in profits in the first nine months of the year by investing reserves from its stablecoin operations, which include holding large amounts of U.S. Treasury bonds.
The stablecoin giant also holds billions of dollars in gold, as well as bitcoin reserves. The company recently upped its stake on video-sharing platform Rumble, and previously reportedly sought to raise funding at a valuation of $500 billion.
Interest in humanoid robots has increased as companies like Nvidia, Tesla and SoftBank race to apply generative AI to physical machines.
Tesla aims to produce 1 million Optimus robots by 2030. Startups like 1X, Figure AI and The Bot Company are also competing for a share of what Nvidia’s CEO recently described as a multibillion-dollar opportunity.
