Apptronik, a humanoid robotics company, has announced the completion of $520 million in fresh funding as it nears large-scale commercial deployment of its robots. Google and Mercedes‑Benz were among the major backers in the investment round.
The Austin, Texas‑based start‑up is currently valued at around $5 billion, according to people familiar with the deal. The funding is an extension of a Series A, and it follows Apptronik’s $415 million raise just under a year ago. Other investors in the round include B Capital and the Qatar Investment Authority.
Apptronik intends to use the fresh capital to further develop its Apollo humanoid robot, expand production and add to their current headcount of 300. The company also intends to open a new robot training and data center in Austin, and expand its operations further with an office opening in California.
The company plans on putting even more humanoid robots to work in factories and warehouses during the next two years, CEO Jeff Cardenas said. Apptronik is starting out with manufacturing and logistics customers. It has already secured commercial agreements with Mercedes‑Benz and GXO Logistics.
Apollo is meant to be used in industrial spaces. It is able to walk as well as drive on wheels, thus it can be deployed in locations designed for humans. The design also makes it more convenient for placement in your current workspaces or shelving units.
Apptronik is also expanding its collaboration with Google DeepMind. For the partnership, they will be building Gemini‑based systems for Apollo, integrating state-of-the-art software with real-world training data collected from factory deployments.
Apptronik was founded in 2016 as a spinoff from the University of Texas, and holds early roots within the development on NASA’s Valkyrie humanoid robot program. Investors say the company has a significant edge in robot hand design and has developed an impressive pipeline of commercial orders.
With increasing competition in the humanoid robotics field, Apptronik is hoping to establish itself as a leading company behind placing human‑like robots on everyday industrial jobsites.
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