Watching a humanoid robot walk down the red carpet in the White House East Room this past week felt like a “Sputnik moment” for the industry. When Figure 03 was introduced to leaders from 45 nations, it wasn’t just a tech demo—it was a signal that “Physical AI” has officially graduated from a Silicon Valley experiment to a matter of national strategic priority.
In the late-stage secondary market, we are seeing this shift backed by massive industrial contracts and record-breaking funding rounds closed over the last 12 months.
1. Figure AI
Following a reported $39 billion valuation in late 2025, Figure AI remains the high-water mark for the humanoid sector.
White House Demonstration: On March 25, 2026, Figure 03 became the first American-built humanoid to be formally presented at the White House. The robot greeted attendees in 11 languages and demonstrated real-time interaction using the “Helix” vision-language-action stack.
Industrial Integration: BMW Group has moved beyond initial testing, announcing in March 2026 the integration of Figure’s humanoids into assembly workflows at its production facility in Leipzig, Germany.
2. Hark Labs
Founded by Brett Adcock (Founder of Figure AI), Hark is an AI lab developing a “Personal AI” platform that tightly integrates multimodal foundation models with native hardware.
Capitalization: Hark emerged from stealth on March 24, 2026, with $100 million in personal funding from Adcock. The firm has recruited a 45-person team, including senior researchers from Meta’s Superintelligence Lab and the former design lead for the iPhone Air.
Infrastructure: The company has secured a compute deal for thousands of NVIDIA B200 GPUs, with initial AI software releases scheduled for Summer 2026.
Source: observer.com/2026/03/bret-adcock-hark-personal-ai/
Data room available for accredited investors.
3. 1X Technologies
1X Technologies, backed by the OpenAI Startup Fund, focuses on “soft” humanoid robotics designed for safe operation in both industrial and domestic environments.
Consumer Pre-Orders: 1X has officially opened pre-orders for “NEO,” its bipedal humanoid, at a $20,000 price point. The company has confirmed that the first wave of home deliveries is scheduled for late 2026.
Industrial Deployment: Through investor EQT Ventures, 1X has an agreement to supply up to 10,000 NEO units to approximately 300 portfolio companies for industrial applications.
Source: thelec.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=6154
4. Gecko Robotics
Gecko Robotics utilizes specialized wall-climbing robots and its “Cantilever” AI platform to perform automated structural inspections and create digital twins of critical infrastructure.
U.S. Navy Contract: On March 17, 2026, Gecko announced a five-year contract with the U.S. Navy and GSA with a $71 million ceiling. The initial award involves deploying robotic fleets to 18 ships in the U.S. Pacific Fleet to modernize maintenance and inspection workflows.
Strategic Importance: In late March 2026, CEO Jake Loosararian noted that current Middle East conflicts have reinforced the necessity of “readiness,” leading the company to expand its deployment in the Gulf to help energy partners like ADNOC assess infrastructure damage.
Source: thenextweb.com/news/gecko-robotics-navy-contract-ship-digital-twins
5. Apptronik
Apptronik, a spin-out from the University of Texas at Austin, develops the “Apollo” humanoid robot for logistics, manufacturing, and retail environments.
Series A-X Extension: In February 2026, Apptronik closed a $520 million funding round, bringing its total Series A financing to over $935 million. The round included participation from Google, Mercedes-Benz, John Deere, and the Qatar Investment Authority.
Valuation Milestone: This latest capital infusion valued the company at more than $5 billion, representing a 3x increase over its initial Series A valuation.
Source: news.crunchbase.com/venture/ai-humanoid-robot-funding-apptronik/
If you’d like details on any of these opportunities, just let me know.