Apptronik
Apptronik spun out of the University of Texas at Austin's Human Centered Robotics Lab after work on NASA's Valkyrie and builds the Apollo humanoid. It raised a USD 350 million Series A in February 2025 led by B Capital and Capital Factory with Google, and pilots Apollo with Mercedes-Benz, GXO and Jabil.
- Type
- startup
- Headquarters
- Austin, Texas, United States
- Founded
- 2016
- Founders
- Jeff Cardenas, Nick Paine, Luis Sentis
- Status
- active
- Employees (est.)
- 300
- Disclosed funding
- n/d
- Valuation
- n/d
- Listed
- private
- Website
- apptronik.com
What the record says.
Apptronik is a University of Texas at Austin spin-out, formally founded in 2016 by Jeff Cardenas, Nick Paine and Luis Sentis after lab work on NASA's Valkyrie. It spent its first years on exoskeletons, actuators and contract robotics before unveiling the Apollo humanoid in August 2023.
Most of what is public about Apollo is partnerships rather than sales. Mercedes-Benz announced what Apptronik called the first commercial deployment in March 2024, GXO started a proof of concept in June 2024, and Jabil signed on in February 2025 both to test Apollo and to manufacture it. Google DeepMind became a strategic partner in December 2024. Apptronik has not published how many Apollo units exist or how many are working at customer sites.
The money is large. A Series A of USD 350 million in February 2025, co-led by B Capital and Capital Factory with Google, grew to USD 415 million. A USD 520 million extension in February 2026 brought the Series A above USD 935 million and total capital to nearly USD 1 billion, with AT&T Ventures, John Deere and the Qatar Investment Authority joining. TechCrunch put the post-money valuation at about USD 5.3 billion. The company said it had nearly 300 employees and would ramp production of a new Apollo version.
2 humanoids tracked.
Apollo
Apollo is Apptronik's general-purpose humanoid, revealed on 23 August 2023, with a 25 kg payload and four-hour swappable batteries. It is piloted by Mercedes-Benz, GXO and Jabil, and Google DeepMind has partnered with Apptronik on its AI. Apptronik's team previously worked on NASA's Valkyrie.
Astra
Astra was an upper-body humanoid Apptronik built in 2022 to develop dual-arm manipulation and teleoperation before Apollo. It was one of about ten robots the company built after its NASA Valkyrie work. It has been superseded by Apollo.
Rounds and valuations.
| Date | Round | Amount | Valuation | Lead | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | acquisition | n/a | n/d | Apptronik acquired Elevate Robotics, a startup building large-scale mobile manipulation for heavy industrial work. Terms not disclosed. | |
| Jun 2025 | Series A | $53M | n/d | Mercedes-Benz, Japan Post Capital | Extension that lifted the Series A to about USD 403 million. Mercedes-Benz had disclosed an equity investment in Apptronik in March 2025 alongside its Apollo pilot. Exact closing date and full investor list to be confirmed. |
| 13 Feb 2025 | Series A | $350M | n/d | B Capital, Capital Factory | Largest humanoid round of early 2025. Google participated alongside the existing Google DeepMind development partnership announced in December 2024. |
* reported, not confirmed by the company.
At customer sites.
| Robot | Customer | Site | Since | Status | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo | Jabil | Jabil manufacturing facilities, United States | Mar 2025 | pilot | n/d |
| Apollo | GXO Logistics | GXO warehouse (location not disclosed), United States | Sep 2024 | pilot | n/d |
| Apollo | Mercedes-Benz | Kecskemet plant, Hungary, and Berlin-Marienfelde Digital Factory Campus, Hungary | Mar 2024 | pilot | n/d |
Milestones.
Apptronik raises a 350 million dollar Series A
B Capital and Capital Factory lead, with Google participating, and the round is later extended to over 400 million. Apptronik uses it to scale Apollo production with Jabil.
Mercedes-Benz starts piloting Apptronik's Apollo
Mercedes-Benz and Apptronik agree to test Apollo for carrying parts to the assembly line and inspecting components at Mercedes plants, initially in Hungary. It is the first announced humanoid pilot at a European carmaker.
Apptronik unveils Apollo
Austin based Apptronik, spun out of UT Austin's Human Centered Robotics Lab and a NASA Valkyrie contractor, reveals Apollo, a 173 cm, 73 kg humanoid with a 25 kg payload and swappable batteries, aimed at logistics and manufacturing.
Europe's humanoids: who builds them and what you can order
31 of the 182 humanoids on record come from seven European countries. Three can be ordered, two have a price, and the dearest of those is $75,000 for a robot that does not walk.
How a humanoid robot works: actuators, compute, sensors and the model
Of 182 humanoids on record, 178 say what moves the joints and 43 say what computer is inside. The further a layer sits from the metal, the less the maker tells you about it.
How long does a humanoid robot actually run
22 of 182 humanoids on record quote a runtime. The claims run from 1 to 8 hours with a median of 4, and of the 44 machines you can order, 4 say anything at all.
Who is paying for humanoids: 69 funding rounds
Our funding record holds 69 entries. Take out the government funds, the acquisitions and the IPOs and $6.33 billion of disclosed private money remains. 37 percent of it went to companies with no robot on record.
China builds, America demos: what 108 makers tell you
Chinese makers account for 65 of the 182 humanoids in our record and 31 of the 44 you can order. American makers hold the money, the research and most of the autonomy claims, and sell you almost nothing.
Where humanoids actually work: 52 deployments, counted
We track 52 humanoid deployments at named sites. Eighteen are in car plants, exactly half are live, and six say how many robots turned up. Those six add up to 41 machines.
Sources
- 01ApptronikApptronik
- 02Press releasesApptronik
- 03
- 04