AheadForm

Founded in 2024 and based in Shanghai, China, AheadForm is a robotics company specializing in the creation of advanced bionic humanoid robots equipped with self-supervised AI algorithms for various applications. In December 2025, AheadForm raised an undisclosed amount of venture funding co-led by new investor China Internet Investment Fund and returning investor Ant Group, with participation from returning investor China Merchants Venture Investment Management, new investor Oriental Fortune Capital and other unspecified investors. AheadForm specializes in the development of advanced bionic humanoid robots that incorporate self-supervised AI algorithms alongside high degrees of freedom (DOF) actuation systems. Their flagship products include the ELF V1 and the Lan Series, with the former featuring up to 30 degrees of freedom and the latter offering 10 degrees of freedom with a focus on soft, lifelike skin.

These robots are designed for a variety of applications, including customer service, education, and healthcare. The company generates revenue through direct sales of its humanoid robots and associated technologies, catering primarily to B2B clients across multiple industries. The funding raised in September 2025 will be primarily used to iterate the technology of the Emotion Base Model and implement its applications in multiple scenarios, further promoting the commercial development of AI in the field of emotion recognition.