Chinese Robotics Startup one Star Robotics to Dissolve Just Months After Launch
Hangzhou, China – Oct. 21 - One Star Robotics, a Chinese robotics firm founded just six months ago by Li Xingxing, son of Geely Holding Group Chairman Eric Li, is set to dissolve despite recently securing meaningful funding in the tens of millions of US dollars. An insider confirmed the company’s impending closure,noting that personnel seconded from Geely have already withdrawn. One Star Robotics has yet to issue a public statement.
The rapid collapse of the startup, which received seed funding from investors including Baidu Venture and Cowin Capital, as well as Geely-backed CaoCao Mobility and Zhejiang Geener Microelectronics, is sparking speculation. Potential causes cited include internal disagreements among the founding team and business overlap with Geely’s Afari technology, which recently filed for an IPO in Hong Kong.
Evidence of the shutdown is mounting. All content has been removed from the company’s WeChat account, and co-founder and CTO Ding Yan’s profile on Rednote (xiaohongshu) indicates his employment ended this month.A visit to one Star Robotics’ Hangzhou office revealed unopened deliveries, removed branding, and a significantly reduced workforce.
Despite the impending closure,the company reportedly continued to receive orders even last month,with investors expressing interest in increasing their stakes just weeks ago,according to Fang Yu,a former employee in the technology department.
One Star Robotics boasted a strong team, led by Li Xingxing (66% ownership) and Legal Representative Pan Yunbin, a former president of Geely’s satellite division. Its R&D team included professors from Fudan and Tsinghua Universities, and members of the FastUMI data collection team.
The swift rise and fall of One Star Robotics highlights the significant hurdles facing the “embodied intelligence” sector in China. While the Guangdong Association of Artificial Intelligence Industry projects the market to exceed CNY1.25 trillion (USD175.6 billion) by 2027, industry insiders point to challenges including high investment costs, intensive R&D requirements, and slow returns. Successfully scaling production and achieving commercial viability remain critical obstacles for all companies in the field.
