The archive · Hardware & Devices · Product decision · 2024–2026
JOYIN bets consumer robots are China's next hit: 3 rounds in 9 months, then Ant-led Pre-A
Founded Dec 2024 by Dreame's ex-president, JOYIN raised ~¥1B in 18 months betting consumer robots enter homes; 30,000+ orders and +600% H1 revenue by July 2026.
JOYIN (乐享科技)
What the business is
A Suzhou-based consumer robotics maker building small humanoid (Z-Bot), tracked (W-Bot) and full-size humanoid (Jupiter) robots plus a home-collaboration robot, N1, for the Chinese household market.
Starting capital：Angel rounds totaling nearly ¥500M (RMB) by September 2025, including a ¥200M 'angel++' led by Eastern Bell Capital with IDG; ~¥500M Pre-A led by Ant Group in July 2026, cumulative ¥1B (RMB).
How it started
Founded in December 2024, JOYIN closed three angel rounds within nine months, with total angel funding near ¥500M. Founder Guo Renjie, born 1997, studied at Xi'an Jiaotong University's gifted youth class and LSE economics before serving as president of Dreame China, where he took the company to ¥6B annual revenue in three years.
What happened
The ¥200M 'angel++' round in September 2025, led by Eastern Bell Capital with IDG follow-on, funded self-developed core components, motion control and its 'consciousness-inspired model'. In July 2026 the company announced a near-¥500M Pre-A led by Ant Group, with strategic investors Geely Capital, 37 Interactive Entertainment and Yuanhe Puhua, plus follow-on from existing investor Monolith — bringing cumulative funding to ¥1B — and launched its home embodied-AI brand 'Zeroth' with the Jupiter humanoid and N1 collaboration robot.
How it ended up
By July 2026, JOYIN said total robot orders had passed 30,000 units and first-half 2026 revenue grew 600% year-on-year, with a 90-person team (80%+ R&D), 60+ original patents and a line covering small humanoids, full-size humanoids, tracked robots and home collaboration robots.
Background
JOYIN (乐享科技) was founded in December 2024 in Suzhou by Guo Renjie, the 1997-born former president of Dreame Technology China, who had taken Dreame's vacuum business to ¥6B in annual revenue in three years. His bet: consumer-grade embodied AI robots can become a real household category in China, and the way to win is to repeat the vacuum playbook — own core components, iterate quickly, and price for consumers rather than chase full-size humanoids.
Capital came fast: three angel rounds in nine months totaling nearly ¥500M, capped by a ¥200M 'angel++' in September 2025 led by Eastern Bell Capital with IDG follow-on. In July 2026, Ant Group led a near-¥500M Pre-A with strategic investors Geely Capital and 37 Interactive Entertainment, taking cumulative funding to ¥1B and backing the new home brand 'Zeroth' and its Jupiter humanoid and N1 collaboration robot.
The company says the bet is paying off early: more than 30,000 robot orders, 600% year-on-year revenue growth in the first half of 2026, a 90-person team with over 80% in R&D, and 60+ original patents. Its products span small humanoids (Z-Bot), tracked robots (W-Bot), full-size humanoids (Jupiter) and home-collaboration robots (N1).
The risk remains the category itself: home robotics funding in China is heating up — over 10 deals in the household-robot track since 2025 — and whether consumer willingness to pay turns orders into a durable business is unproven. JOYIN's answer so far is to treat it as a volume game, using the supply-chain and cost discipline Dreame taught it.
What has to be true
- The founder's edge was transferable manufacturing experience: he had already scaled one consumer robotics company to ¥6B revenue, so investors funded a repeat of that playbook, not a research bet.
- JOYIN chose consumer-grade form factors (small humanoids, tracked robots) over general-purpose humanoids, betting cheaper, task-specific devices enter homes first.
- Vertical integration — self-developed components, motion control and an embodied model — kept costs and iteration speed under its own control.
- Strategic investors (Ant, Geely, 37 Interactive) were brought in deliberately at Pre-A, converting financial backing into channel and ecosystem access.
What can be applied
A founder who proved a category at scale can compress the next: capital and orders came from reusing Dreame's vertical-integration, fast-iteration playbook on a new form factor.
Aftermath
As of 1 September 2026, JOYIN is scaling: it has launched the 'Zeroth' home embodied-AI brand, is ramping Jupiter and N1, holds over 30,000 robot orders and reports 600% first-half revenue growth. It is investing the Pre-A in six core technologies, talent and global channel expansion. No profitability or full-year figures have been disclosed.
Sources
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