Apptronik

Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company based in Austin, Texas, that develops AI-powered humanoid robots. Its flagship product, Apollo, is a humanoid robot designed to work in environments built for people, taking on physically demanding, repetitive or hazardous tasks such as transporting components, sorting, kitting, picking, packing, machine and tool tending, and inspection. Apollo is offered with a modular design supporting both bipedal and wheeled mobility configurations, and Apptronik positions it as a platform combining hardware, embodied AI and fleet-level management tools rather than a single-purpose machine. The company markets Apollo across manufacturing, warehouse/logistics (including third-party logistics) and retail use cases, with stated future ambitions in healthcare, eldercare and household settings.

Apollo follows nearly a decade of development and 15 earlier robotic systems, including NASA's Valkyrie humanoid, which originated with members of the University of Texas at Austin Human Centered Robotics Lab who competed in the NASA-DARPA Robotics Challenge beginning in 2013. Earlier product lines included exoskeletons and other humanoid systems; the company later narrowed its focus to humanoid robots and general-purpose mobile manipulation. As of the February 2026 funding announcement, Apptronik reported approximately 300 employees, up from over 150 at the time of its initial Series A announcement in February 2025 and about 50 in mid-2022.

Apptronik's robots are used in pilot and commercial deployments with strategic partners including Mercedes-Benz, GXO Logistics and Jabil. Early Apollo units operate in designated work areas defined by external sensors and light curtains, pausing when a person crosses a boundary; the company states future versions will be engineered for "collaborative safety" allowing robots to slow, stop or maneuver around people. Apptronik also has a strategic partnership with Google DeepMind, using Gemini Robotics models to underpin Apollo's capabilities.

Founding story

Apptronik was founded in 2016 as a spinout of the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. Its humanoid robotics work traces to 2013, when lab members competed in the NASA-DARPA Robotics Challenge on the Valkyrie robot. Jeff Cardenas is co-founder and CEO and Nicholas Paine is co-founder and CTO.

Business model

Apptronik develops and manufactures humanoid robots and sells or deploys them to enterprise customers in manufacturing, logistics and retail, supported by a platform of embodied AI software and fleet-level management tools. The company is scaling from pilot and commercial deployments toward mass production; a board member cited an expectation of roughly $80,000 per year per Apollo robot in high-volume delivery and around $1 billion in orders beginning in 2027.

Revenue derives from commercial deployments of Apollo humanoid robots with enterprise customers across manufacturing, warehousing/3PL and retail verticals; historically the company also worked on government and enterprise robotics projects, including work with NASA. A board member described an anticipated price point of about $80,000 per robot per year at volume.

Traction

Apollo units are operating in pilot and early commercial deployments at facilities run by Mercedes-Benz, GXO Logistics and Jabil. The company reports commercial agreements with Mercedes-Benz and GXO Logistics, a strategic partnership with Google DeepMind, prior collaborations with NASA (from 2022) and NVIDIA, roughly 300 employees, and recognition including the 2025 IEEE Robotics & Automation Product Innovation Award and the CNBC Disruptor 50 lists for 2025 (rank 33) and 2026. Capital raised totals nearly $1 billion, including a Series A that grew to more than $935 million.

Latest developments

On February 11, 2026 Apptronik announced a $520 million Series A-X extension round with participation from existing investors B Capital, Google, Mercedes-Benz and PEAK6 and new investors AT&T Ventures, John Deere and the Qatar Investment Authority, bringing total Series A funding above $935 million at a reported $5 billion valuation (about $5.3 billion post-money per one report) and total capital raised to nearly $1 billion. Proceeds are earmarked for ramping Apollo production, expanding commercial and pilot deployments, building robot training and data-collection facilities, expanding in Austin, opening a California office, and preparing a new robot slated to debut in 2026. A board member said he expects the company to hire at least 200 more people over the following year.