1X, a dual Norwegian-American robot maker backed by OpenAI, is on a mission to develop “general purpose robots that can coexist with humans and elevate humanity,” according to its website.
To that end, it has two series of robots: Neo, designed for domestic tasks, and Eve, designed for industrial use in factories. The company recently began taking orders for Neo, which will cost $20,000 or a $499 a month subscription with an expected US launch in 2026. For now, the robots will require owners to be okay with them being tele-operated by a human outside the residence as Neo is trained.
“We are cloning human thought and behavior into a machine, alongside providing foundation models for robotic safety,” Bernt Øivind Børnich, the CEO and founder, told Business Insider in 2024.
He said the company, which is more than eight years into developing androids, is seeing a clear market for its innovations.
“What is unique about us is that we have an android that can be safely deployed with humans, which opens up new consumer markets,” Børnich said. “These are complicated products looking for a market but we now have commercial traction which previously hadn’t been proven out.”
The company has raised $140.36 million in funding as of July 2025, according to PitchBook. The Information reported in September 2025 that the company was seeking an additional $1 billion in funding.
