Tether Leads $1.2 Billion Investment in Neura Robotics at $4.6 Billion Valuation, Betting Stablecoin Profits on Humanoid Robots
German startup Neura Robotics raises €1 billion led by Tether Holdings, becoming Europe's most valuable humanoid robotics company as cryptocurrency profits flow into physical AI.
Overview
Neura Robotics, a German humanoid robotics startup, is raising approximately €1 billion ($1.2 billion) in a funding round led by stablecoin issuer Tether Holdings, valuing the company at approximately €4 billion ($4.6 billion), according to SiliconANGLE and Bloomberg. The investment would make Neura the most valuable humanoid robotics company in Europe and signals that large pools of cryptocurrency-derived capital are increasingly flowing into physical AI and embodied intelligence.
The round includes participation from Lingotto Investment Management (the investment arm of Exor NV, the Agnelli family’s holding company), BlueCrest Capital Management, Volvo Cars Tech Fund, InterAlpen Partners, Vsquared Ventures, HV Capital, Delta Electronics, C4 Ventures, and L-Bank, according to Caproasia.
The Company
Founded in 2019 by CEO David Reger, Neura Robotics builds what it calls “cognitive robots” — machines equipped with sensory perception, learning capabilities, and the ability to work alongside humans without safety caging. The company’s product lineup spans three categories: MAiRA, described as the world’s first cognitive robot for industrial applications; MiPA, an assistant robot designed for service environments; and 4NE-1 (“For Anyone”), a humanoid robot designed for series production, according to Neura Robotics.
The company has also developed the Neuraverse, a robotics app store that allows robots to acquire new capabilities through software updates, analogous to a smartphone app ecosystem. Reger said last year that the company had secured nearly $1 billion in orders, including from industrial customers such as Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Omron, according to SiliconANGLE.
The new round follows a €120 million Series B in January 2025, led by Lingotto Investment Management, according to Neura Robotics. That round valued the company at a fraction of the current €4 billion figure, reflecting the rapid acceleration of investor interest in humanoid robotics over the past 12 months.
The Tether Factor
The most notable aspect of the deal is Tether’s lead role. Tether Holdings, the issuer of the USDT stablecoin — the most widely used stablecoin in cryptocurrency markets with a market capitalization exceeding $140 billion — has been aggressively diversifying its investment portfolio beyond digital assets. Previous investments include brain-computer interface developer Blackrock Neurotech (2024) and Italian robotics startup Generative Bionics (2025), according to TechFundingNews.
Tether reported $13 billion in profit for 2024, primarily from interest on U.S. Treasury holdings that back the USDT peg. That profitability has given the company capital reserves that rival those of established venture firms, and it has chosen to deploy them not into additional cryptocurrency ventures but into physical technology — AI, robotics, and neural interfaces.
The Humanoid Robotics Race
Neura’s funding arrives amid an intensifying global competition in humanoid robotics. In the United States, Apptronik recently reached a $5 billion valuation with nearly $1 billion in total funding. Tesla continues to develop its Optimus humanoid robot for factory deployment. In China, Xiaomi has deployed humanoid robots on its EV assembly line, and Beijing-based Unitree’s H1 robot has generated significant attention.
The commercial case for humanoid robots centers on their ability to operate in environments designed for human workers without requiring facility redesign. Manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare are the primary target markets. Goldman Sachs has estimated the humanoid robot market could reach $38 billion by 2035, though that figure depends heavily on achieving production costs that make deployment economically viable relative to conventional automation.
What We Don’t Know
The precise terms of Tether’s investment — including whether it involves equity, convertible instruments, or preferred shares with specific liquidation preferences — have not been disclosed. The timeline for 4NE-1 series production and commercial delivery has not been publicly specified. And Neura’s path to profitability, given the capital-intensive nature of hardware manufacturing and the company’s rapid expansion, remains uncertain.
The broader question of whether stablecoin-derived capital is a stable long-term funding source for industrial technology also remains open. Tether’s profits depend on interest rates and the continued demand for USDT — both of which are subject to macroeconomic and regulatory shifts.