ForwardX Robotics Funding, Investors & Competitors

ForwardX Robotics has raised $138M across 7 funding rounds, most recently a $28M Series C in July 2023.

Last ForwardX Robotics funding round

$28M

Series C · Jul 2023

Cumulative funding ForwardX Robotics raised

$138M

across 7 funding rounds

Key investors in ForwardX Robotics

  • CDH Investments
  • Eastern Bell Capital
  • Qualcomm Ventures
  • China Merchants Venture Capital
  • ZGC Group
  • Hefei Industry Investment Group
  • BOCOM Intl Hldgs Co
  • Taikang Insurance Group

ForwardX Robotics Overview

About ForwardX Robotics

ForwardX Robotics develops AI-driven autonomous mobile robots for logistics and manufacturing. Headquartered in Beijing with over 250 employees including 120 engineers, the company holds more than 200 patents in computer vision. ForwardX solutions address labor shortages and safety issues with products like the FarEye pallet trucks and FarInsight navigation systems, deployed in warehouses across China and Southeast Asia. The firm earned top prizes at TRECVID and IEEE VOT-RT competitions.


Founded

2016

HQ

ChinaBeijing

Status

Privately held

Customer focus

B2B

Revenue model

Product sales

ForwardX Robotics Funding History

ForwardX Robotics has raised a total of $138M across 7 funding rounds.

ForwardX Robotics' first fundraising round was a $1M angel round in December 2016. The most recent completed round was a $28M Series C in July 2023.

ForwardX Robotics funding rounds

ForwardX Robotics funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedDeal Summary
Jul 2023Series CHefei Industry Investment Group; Hefei Gaoxin Development & Investment Group Company; Anhui State-owned Capital$28MForwardX Robotics is a Beijing-based developer of vision-based autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for warehousing, logistics, and manufacturing, offering products like autonomous forklifts, tugger AMRs, conveyor top AMRs, and fleet management software under families such as Flex, Max, Apex, and Lynx. The company positions itself as a comprehensive end-to-end automation provider, distinguishing from competitors by supporting multiple tasks including transport, storage, picking, and docking in brownfield environments. It has deployed over 3,000 robots across 150 commercial projects on four continents, serving clients like L’Oréal, IKEA, SF DHL, UNIQLO, Walmart, Mitsubishi, ITOCHU, and TCL. The specified funding round on July 12, 2023, was a Series C - II raising $27.8 million from Anhui State-owned Capital Operation Holding Group, Hefei Hi-Tech Investment (also referred to as Hefei Gaoxin Development & Investment Group), and Hefei Industry Investment Group. This tranche contributed to the broader Series C, which reached $61 million including a prior $30 million extension announced around July 7, 2023, and an initial portion from December 2021. Total funding since 2016 founding stands at approximately $140-148 million across multiple rounds, with proceeds aimed at global expansion into North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, product acceleration, and market growth. ForwardX ranks as a top global provider in assisted picking and material handling, capitalizing on automation demand from supply chain issues and labor shortages.
Dec 2021Series CTaikang Insurance Group (lead); Starlight Capital; Qualcomm Ventures$31MForwardX Robotics, a Beijing-headquartered developer of AI-powered autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for warehouse automation, logistics, and material handling, raised $31 million in the first tranche (C1) of its Series C funding round on December 13, 2021, led by Taikang Life Insurance with participation from Qualcomm Ventures and Starlight Capital. This brought the company's total funding to approximately $100 million since its founding in 2016 by Nicolas Chee, a former Oracle VP. The round supports accelerated R&D, global expansion into markets like the U.S., enhanced deployment capabilities, and sales growth amid rising investor interest in Chinese warehousing and manufacturing robotics. Key customers include JD.com, where ForwardX's robots have completed over 5 million picks, and SF Supply Chain China (DHL partner), with most revenues generated in China. The company's solutions feature lidar- and deep learning-enabled AMRs, plus a fleet management system optimizing robot navigation similar to ride-hailing algorithms, helping workers focus on picking rather than walking and easing onboarding for new hires by eliminating the need to memorize warehouse layouts. ForwardX operates in a competitive landscape with rivals like RightHand Robotics, GreyOrange, and Agility Robotics, holding over 200 pending patents and employing over 250 staff, including 120 engineers. Subsequent rounds include a Series C in November 2021 and Series C-II of $27.8M-$30M in July 2023 from Chinese state-backed investors, pushing total funding to $134.41M across 9 rounds.
Mar 2021Series BAngel Around (lead); CDH Investments (lead); Dohold Capital (lead); ZGC Group; Gage Finance$38MForwardX Robotics, a Beijing-based developer of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for warehousing and manufacturing, closed an extension to its Series B funding round with $38 million raised around March 2021, led by CDH Investments’ VGC, Eastern Bell Capital, and Dohold Capital, with participation from Angel Around and ZGC Group. This brought the total Series B to over $63 million, following an initial $10 million in March 2019 and $15 million extension in April 2020, for a cumulative $74 million since founding in 2016. The company’s AMRs leverage computer vision, deep learning, and multi-sensor fusion for tasks like segmentation, detection, tracking, and scene recognition. Product lines include ForwardX Flex for picking/packing/moving, ForwardX Max for heavy payloads, and ForwardX Apex for pallets. The AI-driven fleet management software doubles worker productivity and cuts labor costs. Funds will accelerate R&D for new and existing products, expand market share in China and the US, and enter Japan, Germany, and the UK. Investors highlighted ForwardX’s leadership in perceptive mobile robots, commercialization, multi-robot scheduling, and applications across industries amid AMR market growth projected to $9 billion by 2024.
Apr 2020Series BChina Merchants Venture Capital (lead)$15MForwardX Robotics, a Beijing-based developer of vision-based autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for logistics and manufacturing, completed a Series B+ funding round of $15 million (RMB 100 million) led by China Merchants Capital via its SINO-BLR Industrial Investment Fund in early 2020. This round brought the company's total funding to over $40 million, following a prior $15 million Series B and a $10 million Series A in 2018. The funds supported product development, international expansion including a North American team in Phoenix and San Diego, increased production, and commercial deployments. ForwardX's AMRs, capable of lifting 200 and 500 kilograms, leverage patented computer vision and fleet management technology to boost customer productivity by 200-300% and reduce labor costs by up to 51%. Deployments included major clients like JD.com and over 100 robots to DHL warehouses in Asia, with the company serving Fortune 500 enterprises in warehousing, third-party logistics, and manufacturing. With over 160 patents pending and 180 staff including 120 engineers, ForwardX positioned itself as a leading AMR provider amid a market forecasted to exceed $10 billion by 2023.
Mar 2019Series BRiverHill Fund; BOCOM Intl Hldgs Co; Chord Capital; CDH Investments; Eastern Bell Capital$15MForwardX Robotics develops vision-based autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for warehousing and manufacturing, including models for picking, heavy payloads, and pallets. The company raised an initial $10 million in its Series B funding round in March 2019, led by investors matching the query including CDH Investments, Eastern Bell Capital, and others. A separate $14.9 million Series B+ round was reported around March 2020. The Series B total reached over $63 million after subsequent extensions, including $15 million in April 2020 and $38 million in 2021.
May 2018Series ACDH Investments (lead); Eastern Bell Capital (lead)$10MForwardX Robotics raised $10 million in a Series A funding round on May 29, 2018, led by CDH Investments and Eastern Bell Venture Capital. The Beijing-based company develops autonomous mobile robots initially focused on applications like follow-me suitcase technology. This round preceded later funding, including a Series B that began with $10 million in March 2019, extended by $15 million in April 2020, and topped up with $38 million, bringing total Series B to over $63 million and cumulative funding to nearly $74 million since founding in 2016.
Dec 2016Angel-$1M-

Who has invested in ForwardX Robotics?

16 investors have backed ForwardX Robotics across its funding rounds, including CDH Investments, Eastern Bell Capital, Qualcomm Ventures, China Merchants Venture Capital, ZGC Group and Hefei Industry Investment Group.

Lead investors include Taikang Insurance Group, Angel Around, CDH Investments, Dohold Capital, China Merchants Venture Capital and 1 other investor.


ForwardX Robotics Investors

Investors in ForwardX Robotics by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
CDH InvestmentsHong KongHong Kong3LeadMay 2018
Eastern Bell CapitalChinaShanghai2LeadMay 2018
Starlight CapitalUnited StatesHouston, TX1ParticipantDec 2021
RiverHill FundChinaHangzhou1ParticipantMar 2019
Qualcomm VenturesUnited StatesSan Diego, CA1ParticipantDec 2021
China Merchants Venture CapitalChinaShenzhen1LeadApr 2020
Dohold CapitalChinaTianjin1LeadMar 2021
BOCOM Intl Hldgs CoChinaHong Kong1ParticipantMar 2019
ZGC GroupChinaBeijing1ParticipantMar 2021
Hefei Industry Investment GroupChinaHefei1ParticipantJul 2023
Angel AroundChinaBeijing1LeadMar 2021
Taikang Insurance GroupChinaBeijing1LeadDec 2021
Hefei Gaoxin Development & Investment Group CompanyChinaHefei1ParticipantJul 2023

This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all 16 ForwardX Robotics investors.

Start Free Trial

Benchmark 350K+ Funding Rounds and Disclosed VC Valuation Multiples

Sign up to see data on 350K+ funding rounds and disclosed revenue and EBITDA valuation multiples, from seed, through growth stage, to pre-IPO.

Start Free Trial

ForwardX Robotics Competitors

ForwardX Robotics competitors include listed companies like UBtech Robotics and Symbotic, and private ones like Apptronik, Sharpa, Sineva and Square Robot.

Public and private companies comparable to ForwardX Robotics
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
UBtech RoboticsChinaChinaPublicly listed$298M($108M)$5.1B9.5x
ApptronikUnited StatesAustin, TXPrivate--$5.3B-
SharpaSingaporeSingaporePrivate--$3.3B-
SinevaChinaHefeiPrivate--$1.8B-
Square RobotUnited StatesBoston, MAPrivate--$1.4B-
SymboticUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$2.2B($35M)$5.8B1.6x

ForwardX Robotics Public Comps

ForwardX Robotics is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Tesla, Siemens, Schneider Electric, ABB, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Stryker, Delta Electronics (Thailand), Johnson Controls and Emerson Electric.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Tesla$95B$10B15.0x13.8x140.8x97.4x
Siemens$91B$15B3.0x2.9x18.1x15.7x
Schneider Electric$46B$9.5B4.3x3.9x21.0x18.4x
ABB$33B$6.9B5.4x4.9x25.9x22.6x
Hitachi$68B$11B2.2x2.2x13.8x13.5x
Mitsubishi$122B$8.7B1.2x1.2x17.2x21.8x
Stryker$25B$6.3B4.7x4.5x18.8x15.6x
Delta Electronics (Thailand)$5.9B$1.1B15.0x11.4x80.8x64.9x

This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all ForwardX Robotics competitors and their valuation data.

Start Free Trial

Common questions about ForwardX Robotics

When was ForwardX Robotics founded?ForwardX Robotics was founded in 2016.
Where is ForwardX Robotics headquartered?ForwardX Robotics is headquartered in Beijing, China.
Is ForwardX Robotics publicly listed?No, ForwardX Robotics is a private, VC-backed company.
How much funding has ForwardX Robotics raised?ForwardX Robotics has raised $138M across 7 funding rounds.
What was ForwardX Robotics' last funding round?ForwardX Robotics' last funding round was a $28M Series C in July 2023.
Who are ForwardX Robotics' investors?ForwardX Robotics' investors include CDH Investments, Eastern Bell Capital, Starlight Capital, RiverHill Fund, Qualcomm Ventures, China Merchants Venture Capital, Dohold Capital, BOCOM Intl Hldgs Co, ZGC Group, Hefei Industry Investment Group and 6 others.
Which companies are comparable to ForwardX Robotics?Companies comparable to ForwardX Robotics include UBtech Robotics, Apptronik, Sharpa, Sineva, Square Robot and Symbotic.

See companies similar to ForwardX Robotics

Start Your
Free Trial Today

Try Multiples for free for 3 days. Got questions or need a demo? Schedule a call with us below.

Start Trial