Clawlab Raises $15M+ as Investors Back Smart Knitting

While AI software continues to dominate technology investment headlines, investors are also looking at how intelligent hardware could reshape more traditional consumer categories.

One of the latest examples is Clawlab, a technology startup that is attempting to bring advanced knitting capabilities into the home. The company recently raised more than $15 million in a Pre-A3 funding round led by miHoYo, with Vision Plus Capital and Shunwei Capital increasing their investments through super pro rata participation.

The latest financing takes Clawlab’s total funding to approximately $25 million across four equity rounds. Its shareholder base also includes Sequoia China and YM Capital.

What investors appear to be backing is not simply another piece of consumer hardware, but the possibility of opening up knitting to a much wider group of users.

Knitting machines have historically been developed primarily for factories and professionals. Pattern development, stitch control and operation can all require specialist knowledge, creating a significant barrier for consumers interested in making their own knitted products. Clawlab is trying to remove much of that complexity by developing what it describes as the world’s first smart knitting machine designed for home use.

The machine is designed to turn an image or idea into a finished knitted item, automating processes including pattern preparation, stitchwork and repetitive production. Users maintain control over elements such as the design, colors and intended use.

That could give the technology uses beyond conventional knitting enthusiasts. Examples range from scarves and doll clothes to pet accessories and personalized gifts, while the company also sees the potential for hobbyists to use the machine for custom work or small businesses. The product is scheduled to be unveiled to a global audience at CES 2027.

Clawlab’s background helps explain how it is approaching that problem. Founder and CEO Wenxin Hu previously worked as a hardware engineer at DJI and Meituan, while most of the company’s core R&D team are former DJI employees.

“Textiles meet a broad, long-standing need in everyday life. Standardized products are abundant, but consumers’ desire for personal style, customization, and emotional expression remains underserved,” he said. “We want to reconnect ideas, design, and production so that people without professional training can create through knitting.”

The longer-term plan therefore appears bigger than a single knitting machine. They hope to make knitting an everyday medium of expression, with smart knitting equipment, design software, and a creator community to help people turn ideas, memories, and care for others into one-of-a-kind pieces they can hold, share, and pass on.