{
  "rows": [
    {
      "company": "Aldebaran",
      "hq_country": "France",
      "website": "https://aldebaran.com/",
      "status": "defunct",
      "what_it_builds": "Built NAO programmable humanoids for education, research and healthcare, and Pepper wheeled social humanoids for reception, retail and hospitals. The original company ceased activity in June 2025 liquidation; Maxvision acquired core assets in July 2025, continued by the separate French company Maxtronics (https://maxtronics.com/en/company/).",
      "what_it_builds_source": "https://www.lagazettefrance.fr/article/l-entreprise-aldebaran-connue-pour-ses-robots-humanoides-en-liquidation-judiciaire",
      "founded_year": "2005",
      "founded_source": "https://www.intel.com/pressroom/capital/pdfs/Aldebaran.pdf",
      "funding_usd": "22239000",
      "funding_basis": "disclosed rounds",
      "funding_source": "https://www.intel.com/pressroom/capital/pdfs/Aldebaran.pdf",
      "funding_note": "Summed: initial founder/family/staff equity EUR1.4m (press-reported 2009-06-15; closing dates unstated), USD1939000 at disclosure-date ECB EUR/USD1.385: https://www.techniques-ingenieur.fr/actualite/articles/bruno-maisonnier-les-robots-ce-nest-pas-seulement-un-truc-de-japonais-15504/amp/ FX: https://currencyapi.com/central-bank-exchange-rates/ecb/usd/2009; 2008-01-11 first VC round EUR5m=USD7300000, source conversion, press-reported: https://www.edn.com/french-robotics-startup-raises-7-million/; 2011-06-07 Series C USD13000000: https://www.intel.com/pressroom/capital/pdfs/Aldebaran.pdf. Excluded 2012 USD100m secondary acquisition and planned USD40-50m investment (not a completed round): https://spectrum.ieee.org/aldebaran-robotics-sells-majority-stake. No sourced post-money valuation; valuation date unavailable. Total is disclosed equity only, not grants, debt or parent operating support.",
      "latest_funding_date": "2011-06-07",
      "valuation_usd": null,
      "latest_model": "NAO V6 (last original-Aldebaran humanoid generation; successor Maxtronics NAO7 project excluded)",
      "latest_model_year": "2018",
      "latest_model_source": "https://new.robotlab.com/blog/first-impression-softbank-robotics-nao-v6/",
      "units_shipped": "20000",
      "units_shipped_source": "https://maxtronics.com/en/",
      "units_shipped_note": "More than 20,000 NAO produced, sold and delivered cumulatively worldwide, according to successor Maxtronics website viewed 2026-11-03; reporting cutoff unstated. Recorded as lower bound 20,000. Covers NAO lineage including successor sales; excludes Pepper, not a combined company shipment total.",
      "as_of": "2026-11-03"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    "https://www.intel.com/pressroom/capital/pdfs/Aldebaran.pdf",
    "https://www.edn.com/french-robotics-startup-raises-7-million/",
    "https://www.techniques-ingenieur.fr/actualite/articles/bruno-maisonnier-les-robots-ce-nest-pas-seulement-un-truc-de-japonais-15504/amp/",
    "https://currencyapi.com/central-bank-exchange-rates/ecb/usd/2009",
    "https://spectrum.ieee.org/aldebaran-robotics-sells-majority-stake",
    "https://www.lagazettefrance.fr/article/l-entreprise-aldebaran-connue-pour-ses-robots-humanoides-en-liquidation-judiciaire",
    "https://maxtronics.com/en/company/",
    "https://maxtronics.com/en/",
    "https://new.robotlab.com/blog/first-impression-softbank-robotics-nao-v6/",
    "https://news.cision.com/aldebaran-robotics/r/aldebaran-robotics--worldleader-in-humanoid-robotics--raises-us-13-million-in-round-led-by-intel-cap,c9133753"
  ]
}