This article was displayed on the ChosunBiz MoneyMove (MM) site at 3:53 p.m. on Jun. 22, 2026.
Robotics startup Diden Robotics has launched a new funding round targeting 100 billion won. The goal is to raise funds for capital expenditures to mass-produce robots, and the industrial robot "Diden Spider," developed by Diden Robotics, drew market attention when it appeared at Nvidia's "GTC" technology conference in March.
According to the investment banking (IB) industry on the 22nd, Diden Robotics recently decided to pursue a new 100 billion won fundraising plan and began full-fledged outreach to financial investors (FI), including venture capital (VC) firms. It comes about 10 months after its 7 billion won pre‑Series A round in August last year and is seen as a Series A.
The company initially sought to raise about 50 billion won, but is said to have increased the size to more than 100 billion won. Its valuation also jumped. Diden Robotics' corporate value is pegged at 400 billion won on a pre‑money basis, and is expected to rise to 500 billion won after the raise.
Global attention on Diden Spider, developed by Diden Robotics, made the upsizing possible. Diden Spider is a quadruped robot unveiled by Diden Robotics, founded in 2024, and was introduced at Nvidia's GTC in March this year as a strong example of well‑implemented physical artificial intelligence (AI).
Diden Spider also appeared at the "GTC Taipei" event held in Taipei, Taiwan, on the 2nd. Diden Robotics is an Nvidia Inception member and a partner in the physical AI ecosystem, and at GTC Taipei, Nvidia Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang said he is a "fan" of Diden Robotics.
Diden Robotics was founded in 2024 by Kim Jun‑ha, a Ph.D. from the KAIST Humanoid Robot Research Center (HUBO Lab), known as a cradle of domestic robot research, together with colleagues from HUBO Lab. From the outset, the company set a goal of building robots for real markets and developed Diden Spider as a shipyard process robot.
Diden Spider's key strength lies in its quadruped locomotion technology. It is designed not only to climb up and down ship compartments using four electromagnetic legs, but also to cling to the hull and perform welding. By attaching an ultrasonic inspection device instead of a welding arm, it can also carry out nondestructive testing.
Investor interest is said to be strong. It conducted adoption pilots for Diden Spider with all three major Korean shipbuilders—HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Hanwha Ocean—and is close to delivery, which has been a tailwind. Buoyed by Nvidia's attention, inquiries are also said to have begun from overseas shipbuilders in Europe.
However, valuation is cited as a sticking point. That is because the company has floated a price tag approaching 400 billion won for what is considered a first‑phase Series A fundraising to develop products. Some investors are said to acknowledge its technology and market potential but worry that recouping the investment may be difficult.
A Diden Robotics representative said, "It is true that we have started a new Series A‑type round to raise 100 billion won," adding, "We plan to build a robot factory in Dongtan, Gyeonggi Province, and will use the new funds for mass production of Diden Spider and research and development (R&D) of a subsequent bipedal robot model."