> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://hive.behindrobotics.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Profile: thehumanoid.ai - Artem Sokolov - URL: https://hive.behindrobotics.com/profile-thehumanoid-ai-artem-sokolov/ - Published: 2026-08-16T05:43:56.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-16T22:42:57.000Z - Author: Christian Connolly - Tags: civil, editorial, teardown Company Deep DiveHumanoids/United Kingdom/Robot Hive # The jeweller who built Britain's robot In under two years, a Russia-born jewellery magnate turned \~$30M of his own money into Europe's first pure-play humanoid unicorn — and put a wheeled robot on a live Siemens factory floor. Inside Humanoid, its HMND 01, and the fortune that funded it. **Robot Hive** / Investigations12 min readUpdated Aug 2026 Most humanoid-robot origin stories start in a university lab. Humanoid's starts in a jewellery workshop in a Russian village that has made jewellery since the 16th century. Founder Artem Sokolov — a third-generation jeweller — took over his family's business at 21, scaled it roughly tenfold to around $1 billion in annual revenue, sold it in 2025, and poured the proceeds into a London robotics company now valued at $1.35 billion. The twist that makes it a proper investigation: he'd never built a robot before. $1.35B post-money valuation, Series A (Jul 2026) \~7mo idea to working prototype (company-stated) 15kg bimanual payload, HMND 01 \~250 team · London · Boston · Vancouver ## 01The founder Artem Sokolov — third-generation jeweller, investor, rally driver, now robot-builder ![Artem Sokolov](__FOUNDER__) #### Artem Sokolov Founder & CEO · ex-SOKOLOV Jewelry Russia-born entrepreneur, born into a jewellery family from Krasnoye-na-Volge, Kostroma. Took over the family business in 2014 at 21 and grew it \~10× before selling it in 2025\. EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2021\. Founder of venture builder SKL.vc (40+ investments) and Golden Falcon Capital. Seeded Humanoid with \~$30M (later told Reuters \~$100M total). Based in London; IMD-educated. [@ArtSokolov](https://x.com/ArtSokolov?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/artem-sokolov-s/?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) The part worth pausing on: Sokolov is **not originally British**. He's a Russian émigré entrepreneur whose fortune came from **SOKOLOV**, one of Russia's largest jewellery makers. The company he now runs is emphatically a UK story — headquartered in London, incorporated in 2024 as SKL Robotics Ltd, and pitched as proof that Britain can lead a hard-tech frontier. That tension — foreign founder, national-champion framing — runs through everything Humanoid says about itself. #### How he made Sokolov Jewelry big at just 21 Tap to open the company briefing — a deep dive into Artem Sokolov's riches Founded 1993as "Diamant" workshop Origin Krasnoye-na-VolgeKostroma, Russia Founders Alexey & Elena SokolovArtem's parents 2024 revenue ₽60.5B\~$650M · +41% YoY Retail \~1,000 stores\~260 Russian cities Workforce \~7,0003 factories What it is Russia's **No.1 jewellery manufacturer** since 2011 (per the Assay Chamber) — a vertically integrated maker + omnichannel retailer of gold (585) and silver (925) rings, earrings, bracelets, pendants and watches. Over **30,000 models**, and more than **30 million items a year** (50+ tonnes of precious metal). Its main complex is billed as Europe's largest in-house jewellery production facility. Sourcing & buyers Emphasis on **domestic Russian metal**, refined through its own subsidiary (Kvart). Diamonds historically via a De Beers site-holder; claims Responsible Jewellery Council alignment and growing use of recycled metal and lab-grown stones. Positioned as mass-market **"affordable luxury"** for Russian consumers (96% brand awareness among women 18–54), with multi-brand distribution in \~12 countries and its own boutiques in Switzerland. How Artem fits in He **didn't found it** — his parents did. Artem joined at 18 (2011) as the first marketing hire, **took over in 2014 at 21**, and scaled it \~10×. On **14 Aug 2025 he sold 100%** to investor Anton Pak (advised by Aspring Capital); price undisclosed, estimated ₽30–65B. He said he'd focus on his own projects, venture investing and the family foundation — i.e. Humanoid. **Down the rabbit hole**The bits SOKOLOV would rather you skipped — tap to open #### The rabbit hole Controversies & sanctions context — SOKOLOV / the Sokolov family **Tax audit & bankruptcy (2017–19):** Russia's tax service assessed 300M+ rubles in VAT on the family's "Diamant" entities, traced through a supplier under separate criminal investigation. Formal bankruptcy began 2018; Artem moved production to a new entity to keep the business running, the old entity was liquidated in 2019, and courts ultimately sided with the taxpayer. A genuine inherited-liability episode, not wrongdoing by Artem. **Antimonopoly warning:** Russia's FAS warned a SOKOLOV entity over unsubstantiated "No.1 / largest in Europe" marketing claims. **Sanctions:** No evidence that SOKOLOV, Artem, or the family are on any EU/US/UK sanctions list. The relevant sector context is the **EU ban on Russian-origin diamonds & diamond jewellery (from Jan 1, 2024)**. Note: unrelated individuals share the surname "Sokolov" on sanctions lists — not connected to this family. Company briefing compiled from Wikipedia, Interfax, Brandmine, Tadviser & FAS filings \[12\]\[13\]\[14\] "With one of the world's strongest talent pools in AI, engineering, and advanced manufacturing, the UK offers a rare level of expertise needed to build world-class robotic systems." — Artem Sokolov, founder & CEO \[3\] His background matters because it explains the company's unusual DNA: **operations-first, not lab-first.** Sokolov came from running large-scale manufacturing, so instead of chasing the most impressive demo, Humanoid optimised for what factory owners actually buy — reliability, throughput, and a machine that can be certified and deployed this year. ## 02The robots Two platforms, one brain — swipe each gallery Humanoid builds the **HMND 01** in two forms: a wheeled "Alpha" that's near-deployment, and a bipedal version for the longer game. Both run the same in-house AI. Photos are from Humanoid's own material. ## 03Why it can carry 15kg The engineering behind the payload — and who supplies the parts A 15kg bimanual payload sounds modest until you realise most humanoids strain well below that. Humanoid gets there through a mix of design choices and supplier-grade components — and unusually, they've told us a fair amount about how. #### How the payload is won **Simulation-first actuator selection.** Using NVIDIA Isaac Sim, the team optimised actuator choice, joint strength and mass distribution **virtually** before cutting metal — matching motor torque to each joint's real load. This also compressed prototype time from a typical 18–24 months to \~7 (company-stated). \[1\]\[2\] **Keep the load close to the body.** Humanoid states 15kg — **or more if payloads are kept close to its body**, cutting the torque demand on shoulder and elbow joints. Lever-arm physics, engineered around. \[7\] **Supplier-grade drivetrain.** Its Schaeffler deal makes Schaeffler the **preferred actuator supplier** (covering >50% of demand through 2031 — a seven-digit number of actuators); Bosch will integrate **actuators, drives and sensors** into future versions. Automotive-tier motion, not hobby parts. \[6\]\[8\] **Wheeled base = more mass budget.** The 300kg wheeled Alpha doesn't spend its power budget balancing a bipedal gait, so more torque and structure go toward lifting and reach (floor to 2m, shelves 60cm deep). \[3\] The honest caveat: Humanoid has **not published a full bill of materials**, so exact reducer or motor part numbers aren't public. What's confirmed is the **Schaeffler** actuator partnership, the **Bosch** component-and-manufacturing tie-up, and **NVIDIA** silicon for compute. For a company this young, that supplier roster is itself the story: it's borrowing the automotive supply chain rather than inventing one. Schaeffler Preferred actuator supplier (>50% of demand to 2031); binding 1,000+ robot deployment deal. Actuators + deployment Bosch Contract manufacturer for HMND 01 in Europe; exploring Bosch actuators, drives & sensors. Manufacturing + components NVIDIA Jetson Thor edge compute; Isaac Sim + Isaac Lab for simulation and RL training. Compute + AI stack Siemens Industrial integration backbone (Xcelerator); host of the Erlangen factory pilot. Integration + pilot ## 04The tech stack & the brain KinetIQ, and a simulation-heavy path to real-world autonomy The software layer is **KinetIQ** — a proprietary four-layer framework built on **vision-language (VLM) and vision-language-action (VLA)** models for end-to-end orchestration of humanoid fleets. **KinetIQ Ascend** adds trial-and-error learning. It runs on NVIDIA's physical-AI stack: **Jetson Thor** on-robot, **Isaac Sim** for simulation, **Isaac Lab** for RL. ## 05Proof of concept: on the factory floor Not a lab demo — a live shift at a Siemens plant JAN 2026 · CES North American debut, Schaeffler booth HMND 01 Alpha demoed live bin-picking metallic bearing rings from clutter in a near-production setting — the UK's first industrial humanoid at CES. JAN 2026 · ERLANGEN Live Siemens factory pilot ("customer zero") The wheeled Alpha ran autonomous tote-handling at Siemens' Erlangen electronics factory: 60 container moves/hour, 8+ hours continuous, >90% pick-and-place success. Announced April 2026\. \[1\] MAR 2026 · SAP Automotive logistics POC with SAP + Martur Fompak HMND 01 took task instructions from an SAP AI agent (Joule) to retrieve KLT boxes and deliver them to a trolley in a live automotive environment. MAY 2026 · SCHAEFFLER + BOSCH 1,000-robot order & European manufacturing Binding Schaeffler deal for 1,000+ wheeled robots by 2032; Bosch Robotics named contract manufacturer for HMND 01 in Europe. JUL 2026 · SERIES A $152M raise → unicorn $152M Series A at $1.35B post-money (Prime Movers Lab, with Schaeffler, Bosch, Fubon, Aglaé) — Europe's first pure-play humanoid unicorn. Total raised \~$270M. ## 06The core team \~250 people from Big Tech — and, notably, the jewellery business Artem Sokolov Founder & CEO Ex-SOKOLOV Jewelry; EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2021\. Sole shareholder pre-Series A. Sets the operations-first strategy. [X](https://x.com/ArtSokolov?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com)[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/artem-sokolov-s/?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) Alina Kolpakova Chief Strategy Officer Leads corporate strategy, marketing, commercialisation & go-to-market. 8+ years at SOKOLOV Jewelry as chief analyst, then Director of Analytics at Artem's SKL.vc — where her work on logistics & automation seeded Humanoid. Shaped the vision "before it had a name." Based in Dubai; Executive MBA. Public profiles not verified — do not confuse with unrelated "@alina\_kolpa" Certification strategy Regulatory / standards Leadership (per Forbes) argues the wheeled platform can hit CE certification by borrowing the AMR + collaborative-robot regimes — a deliberate edge over bipedal rivals that face a harder regulatory path. 130 → 250 engineers Robotics · ML · controls Hardware, machine-learning, control-systems and deployment specialists drawn from leading tech firms, across offices in London, Boston and Vancouver — grown from \~130 to \~250 in a year. Bottom line Humanoid is a bet that the winning humanoid company won't be the one with the flashiest bipedal demo, but the one that ships a certifiable, deployable machine first. By starting wheeled, borrowing the automotive supply chain, and leaning on simulation, a jeweller with no robotics background built a unicorn in 24 months. **The open questions: can the bipedal version — and real revenue — arrive before the runway and the hype cycle run out, and do the company's \~34,000 claimed pre-orders convert?** ### Sources & further reading 1Siemens x NVIDIA x Humanoid Erlangen deployment & tech stack. [Siemens Press](https://press.siemens.com/global/en/pressrelease/siemens-and-humanoid-bring-physical-ai-factory-floor-deploying-humanoids-industrial?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) 2Simulation-first design, 7-month prototype (company-stated). [The Robot Report](https://www.therobotreport.com/siemens-and-humanoid-test-hmnd0-01-alpha-logistics-tasks/?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) 3UK-leadership framing & HMND 01 Alpha specs. [Drives & Controls](https://drivesncontrols.com/industrial-humanoid-will-make-uk-a-global-leader-in-robotics/?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) 4Founder interview — origin & philosophy. [Unite.AI](https://www.unite.ai/artem-sokolov-founder-of-humanoid-interview-series/?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) 5Founder background — jewellery to robotics. [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/iainmartin/2026/02/05/a-former-russian-jewelry-magnates-humanoid-robot-startup-is-in-talks-to-raise-200-million/?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) 6Series A $1.35B; Schaeffler actuator + robot deal. [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2026/07/21/humanoid-raises-152-million-at-135-billion-valuation-europes-newest-robot-unicorn/?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) · [The Robotics Media](https://theroboticsmedia.com/article/humanoid-152-million-series-a-135-billion-prime-movers-lab-schaeffler-bosch-july-21-2026?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) 7HMND 01 specs, payload-close-to-body. [Drives & Controls](https://drivesncontrols.com/uk-start-up-says-its-modular-humanoid-robots-will-cut-costs/?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) · [thehumanoid.ai](https://thehumanoid.ai/?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) 8Bosch contract-manufacturing + component partnership. [The Next Web](https://thenextweb.com/news/humanoid-152m-series-a-robotics-unicorn-bosch?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) 9Pre-orders / $2.4B ARR (company claim, unverified). [Reuters via Minute Mirror](https://minutemirror.com.pk/british-robotics-firm-humanoid-targets-us-ipo-by-2030-555203/?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) 10Team page & Alina Kolpakova role. [Humanoid — Team](https://thehumanoid.ai/team/?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) · [Sifted](https://sifted.eu/articles/humanoid-robotics-alina-interview?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) 11Artem Sokolov profiles. [X](https://x.com/ArtSokolov?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) · [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/artem-sokolov-s/?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) · [Entrepreneur](https://www.entrepreneur.com/author/artem-sokolov?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) 12SOKOLOV company history & scale. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokolov%5F%28company%29?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) · [Brandmine](https://brandmine.ai/founders/artem-sokolov/?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) 13SOKOLOV 2025 sale to Anton Pak. [Interfax](https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/113250/?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) 14Tax/bankruptcy episode & FAS warning context. [Tadviser](https://tadviser.com/index.php/Company:Laksa%5FTrading%5F%28Sokolov%29?ref=hive.behindrobotics.com) **ROBOT HIVE** · Company Deep Dive · Aug 2026 Figures from public sources on the dates shown; several traction numbers (pre-orders, $2.4B ARR, build timelines) are company-stated and unverified. Humanoid has not published a full bill of materials. Photos are from Humanoid's own materials, used editorially. Analysis, not investment advice.