Company
Groove X
Japanese robotics company developing the Lovot companion robot designed for emotional bonding and human comfort.
- Founded
- 2015
- HQ
- Tokyo, Japan
- Status
- active
- Funding
- $50.5M
- Models
- 2
Verified profile
1
Sources on record
1
Tracked changes
Updated 6 days ago
Last verified change
Overview
Japanese robotics company developing the Lovot companion robot designed for emotional bonding and human comfort. Founded in 2015 by former SoftBank Robotics engineer Kaname Hayashi, Groove X is headquartered in Tokyo and employs approximately 288 staff. The Lovot robot, priced at approximately 349,000 yen (single unit), uses 50 sensors and AI to mimic emotional responses and was awarded Best Robot of CES 2019 by The Verge.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- None on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
DEPLOY Intelligence
Market intelligence for physical AI
Analyst-grade signals, competitive tracking, and investment context across the global physical AI landscape. Launching 2026.
Models (2)
View all models →Current platform
Lovot
Companion robot designed to evoke emotional bonding, fitted with approximately 50 sensors and AI to mimic emotional responses. Priced at 349,000 yen for a single unit or 598,000 yen for a pair, Lovot uses a thermal camera to locate its owner and touch sensors to encourage closeness.
Current platform
Lovot
Groove X's Lovot is an affectionate companion robot with a warm (~37-39C) plush body and expressive eyes; AI lets it respond to hugs, follow people, and adapt to moods, focused on emotional comfort rather than functional tasks.
Relationships
Current leadership (1)
- Kaname Hayashi Founder & CEOsince 2018-12-01secondary-verified
Founders (1)
- Kaname Hayashisolefounded 2018-12-01
Safety record
No incidents on record for Groove X.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Recent coverage
Groove X in third-party press
Peer companies
- DJI7 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- ATI Industrial Automation2 models
- Embodied2 models
- Enabot2 models
- EverestLabs2 models
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- private_reported
- Lifecycle stage
- mature
- Counterparty risk class
- low
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Funding rounds (2)
- Series A2017-12-01
$39M(reported)
Investors: Mirai Creation Fund, Innovation Network Corporation of Japan
- Seed2016-10-01
$12M(reported)
Investors: Mirai Creation Fund
Sources (1)
Common questions
- What is Groove X?
- Japanese robotics company developing the Lovot companion robot designed for emotional bonding and human comfort. Founded in 2015 by former SoftBank Robotics engineer Kaname Hayashi, Groove X is headquartered in Tokyo and employs approximately 288 staff. The Lovot robot, priced at approximately 349,000 yen (single unit), uses 50 sensors and AI to mimic emotional responses and was awarded Best Robot of CES 2019 by The Verge.
- Where is Groove X based?
- Groove X is based in Tokyo, Japan.
- When was Groove X founded?
- Groove X was founded in 2015.
- What does Groove X make?
- Groove X has 2 robot models on the DEPLOY registry: Lovot, Lovot (Groove X builds both physical robots and the AI that runs them).
- Where does Groove X operate robots?
- Groove X is a robot manufacturer and does not directly operate deployments on the DEPLOY registry. Its products are deployed by customer operators; see the company page for the verified deployment record.
- Is Groove X safe?
- Groove X has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-03
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-03
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Groove X.Peer companies
- DJI7 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- ATI Industrial Automation2 models
- Embodied2 models
- Enabot2 models
- EverestLabs2 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Groove X from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Japan fashion magnate Maezawa buys stake in affectionate robot venture Groove X
A fund owned by Yusaku Maezawa acquired all shares held by INCJ, taking a majority stake in Groove X. The startup previously raised 8 billion yen from government-backed funds and…
SoftBank alumni launches robot companion designed to love humans
Groove X, founded by ex-SoftBank Robotics engineer Kaname Hayashi, unveiled the Lovot companion robot priced at approximately 3100 USD with 50 sensors and AI emotional responses.
GROOVE X company history and mission
Groove X company overview detailing the founding in November 2015, 1.4 billion yen seed round in 2016, 4.35 billion yen Series A in 2017, and Lovot unveiling in December 2018.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/groove-x.md
- RSS feed: /companies/groove-x/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/5379b1cb-f673-484e-bb05-5b057fcc841e
- Revision history: /companies/groove-x/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- DJI7 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- ATI Industrial Automation2 models
- Embodied2 models
- Enabot2 models
- EverestLabs2 models
DEPLOY Intelligence Score
6.0/ 100
6-month trend
Analysis
Limited public visibility and press coverage relative to peers.
Dimension breakdown
Safety Record
Funding Health
IP Activity
Deployment Scale
Hiring Signal
Market Presence
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
Last computed: Jul 3, 2026
Intelligence layer