Tether has recently participated in a €70 million funding round for the Italian humanoid robotics startup, Generative Bionics. This investment comes as the company gears up for industrial testing and the establishment of a production facility, with plans for deployment by 2026. Tether's involvement aligns it with a broader trend of increasing investments in humanoid robotics by technology, industrial, and financial firms.
On Monday, Tether announced its investment in Generative Bionics as part of a funding round that also included major players like Tesla and Nvidia. The funds from Tether are intended to assist the startup in completing industrial testing and initiating the construction of its first production plant. Generative Bionics is pioneering "Physical AI" systems, which aim to integrate humanoid robotics with artificial intelligence.
In a statement, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino emphasized the company's commitment to investing in technologies that bolster global digital and physical infrastructure while enhancing human potential. He described humanoid robotics and Physical AI as significant advancements in how intelligence and capability are applied in the real world. This investment reflects Tether's ongoing strategy of funding hardware and infrastructure projects beyond the cryptocurrency sector, including ventures in artificial intelligence, media, agriculture, and brain-computer interface technology.
Other investors in the Generative Bionics funding round included CDP Venture Capital's Artificial Intelligence Fund, AMD Ventures, Duferco, Eni Next, and RoboIT. Generative Bionics was established in 2024 as a spin-off from the Italian Institute of Technology, where more than 60 humanoid prototypes were developed over two decades. The company now benefits from the expertise of 70 engineers from the institute, who are working to transform their research into commercial robots for use in manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and retail, under the "Made in Italy" brand.
Generative Bionics has announced plans to showcase its first fully functional humanoid robot at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. CEO and Co-Founder Daniele Pucci stated that the company's mission is to create a future where intelligent humanoid robots work alongside humans, enhancing both cognitive and physical capabilities. He highlighted that their Physical AI allows the design and production of human-like robots that add real value across various applications.
Investment in humanoid robotics surged in 2025, with Figure AI raising $675 million at a valuation of $2.6 billion in February. Later, in July, Bedrock Robotics secured $80 million. In April, Roundhill Investments applied to launch a humanoid robotics ETF, indicating growing confidence in the potential for humanoid systems to address labor shortages and support industrial operations. Morgan Stanley has projected that the market could grow to $5 trillion by 2050, driven by demand in logistics and manufacturing sectors.