1X Technologies Company Profile: History, Funding, NEO Robot and Open Questions
Updated: 7 days ago
1X Technologies makes NEO, a humanoid robot intended for the home, with pre-orders opened in October 2025 at USD 20,000. The company was founded in Norway in 2014 as Halodi Robotics and is now based in California. This profile sets out its history, funding, products and the questions raised about how autonomous its robots are.
1X Technologies at a Glance
Fact | Detail |
Company | 1X Technologies; Halodi Robotics until 2022 |
Founded | 2014 |
Founder and CEO | Bernt Oivind Bornich |
Headquarters | Palo Alto, California, USA |
Manufacturing | Hayward, California, and Moss, Norway |
Products | EVE and NEO humanoid robots |
NEO price | USD 20,000, or USD 499 a month |
Stock listing | None; privately held |
Company History
The Norwegian roboticist Bernt Oivind Bornich founded Halodi Robotics in 2014. Its first product, the wheeled humanoid EVE, was released in 2018 for logistics, security and healthcare work. In 2022 the company took the name 1X Technologies and turned its attention to robots for the home.
Key milestones
2014: Founded as Halodi Robotics.
2018: EVE released.
2022: Renamed 1X Technologies.
March 2023: Series A2 led by the OpenAI Startup Fund.
January 2024: USD 100 million Series B.
August 2024: NEO Beta launched.
February 2025: NEO Gamma launched.
October 2025: NEO pre-orders open.
Funding
Date | Round | Investors |
March 2023 | Series A2, USD 23.5 million | Led by the OpenAI Startup Fund, with Tiger Global, Sandwater, Alliance Ventures and Skagerak Capital |
January 2024 | Series B, USD 100 million | Led by EQT Ventures, with Samsung NEXT and Nistad Group |
In September 2025 the company was reported to be seeking USD 1 billion in new funding.
Products
Product | Description |
EVE | Wheeled humanoid for logistics, security and healthcare, released in 2018 |
NEO Beta and NEO Gamma | Two-legged home humanoid prototypes, 2024 and 2025 |
NEO Home Robot | Consumer version; pre-orders from October 28, 2025, with release planned for 2026 |
Open Questions
The technology journalist Joanna Stern reported in October 2025 that most of NEO's tasks were then performed by a human operator wearing a virtual reality headset, not by the robot on its own. That raises a privacy question, since a remote operator sees inside the home. The company plans an app with which owners schedule remote sessions, and its chief executive has said that data from early adopters is needed to improve the robot's autonomy.
Buyers should therefore understand NEO, at least initially, as a robot that is partly remote-controlled.
Can You Invest in 1X Technologies?
Not on a public market. It is privately held.
Strengths and Challenges
Strengths
A clear focus on the home, where few competitors aim.
Well-known investors.
Its own manufacturing in California and Norway.
Challenges
Limited autonomy at launch.
Privacy concerns about remote operation.
A high price for a consumer product.
Current Catalogue Coverage
Catalogue checked on 15 October 2026: 1 associated product records. The links below are representative entries, rather than a claim that every historical model is currently available.
1X Technologies FAQ
What is NEO?
1X Technologies' two-legged humanoid robot for the home.
How much does NEO cost?
USD 20,000 for early adopters, or USD 499 a month by subscription.
Is NEO fully autonomous?
Not at launch. In October 2025 most of its tasks were reported to be carried out by a remote human operator.
Who founded 1X Technologies?
Bernt Oivind Bornich, in 2014, under the name Halodi Robotics.
Who has invested in 1X?
The OpenAI Startup Fund, EQT Ventures, Tiger Global and Samsung NEXT, among others.
Sources
Wikipedia: 1X Technologies
