PongBot Raises Series B Led by Shanghai Guotou Xiandao to Scale AI Training Robots

PongBot Closes Series B Round

PongBot, a Chinese sports-technology company, has raised a Series B round led by 上海国投先导 (Shanghai Guotou Xiandao). The round was announced on October 11, 2026. The funding amount was not disclosed.

Additional participants in the round include BlueRun Ventures, Yuanhe Puhua Capital (元禾璞华), and Pudong Chuangtou.

What PongBot Does

PongBot builds AI-powered ball-launching robots that function as personalized training partners for tennis, table tennis, pickleball, and padel players. The company was founded in 2019 by Zhang Haibo.

Its product lineup includes:

• Pace-series tennis robots
• Nova and Omni table-tennis robots

These systems combine custom motors and computer vision with large-language-model voice coaching. The result is multi-ball drills, shot-placement variation, and real-time technique feedback for players.

Positioning Against Legacy Equipment

PongBot positions itself against legacy mechanical ball machines. Its differentiation rests on three pillars:

• Training data collected and applied to player development
• Repeatable spin and speed for consistent, measurable practice
• An AI coach that adapts to each player's level

Rather than acting as a fixed machine that fires balls at preset settings, PongBot's robots are designed to function as adaptive training partners that respond to the player in front of them.

Investor Base

The Series B brings together a mix of state-linked and venture capital backers. Shanghai Guotou Xiandao led the round, with BlueRun Ventures, Yuanhe Puhua Capital, and Pudong Chuangtou participating. The composition of the syndicate reflects continued interest in sports technology that pairs hardware with AI-driven software and coaching.

Why It Matters for Acquisition Watchers

PongBot sits at the intersection of consumer sports hardware, computer vision, and LLM-based coaching. That combination creates several angles for strategic acquirers:

• Hardware plus software stack: Custom motors and vision systems paired with an AI coaching layer give the company control over both the physical product and the intelligence that drives it.
• Multi-sport footprint: Coverage across tennis, table tennis, pickleball, and padel broadens the addressable market beyond a single sport.
• Data-driven training: The emphasis on training data and repeatable conditions positions PongBot in the growing category of quantified, feedback-driven practice tools.
• Founder-led since 2019: Zhang Haibo founded the company in 2019, giving it several years of product development ahead of this Series B.

The undisclosed round size means the deal's scale cannot be assessed from the announcement alone. However, the Series B stage and the involvement of a lead investor alongside three additional funds indicate institutional confidence in the company's trajectory.

Summary

PongBot has raised a Series B led by Shanghai Guotou Xiandao, with BlueRun Ventures, Yuanhe Puhua Capital, and Pudong Chuangtou participating. The company builds AI-powered ball-launching robots for tennis, table tennis, pickleball, and padel, combining custom motors, computer vision, and LLM voice coaching. Founded in 2019 by Zhang Haibo, PongBot competes with legacy mechanical ball machines by emphasizing training data, repeatable spin and speed, and an adaptive AI coach.