Apptronik Nears $1 Billion in Total Funding at $5 Billion Valuation, Betting Its NASA-Bred Humanoid Can Outrun Tesla and China
The Austin startup closes a $520M Series A extension backed by Google, Mercedes-Benz, and John Deere, bringing its war chest to $935M as it races to commercialize Apollo humanoid robots while China commands 90 percent of global shipments.
Overview
Apptronik, the Austin-based humanoid robotics company that grew out of the University of Texas at Austin’s Human Centered Robotics Lab, has closed a $520 million extension to its Series A round, bringing the total raise to over $935 million and the company’s valuation to roughly $5 billion, according to CNBC. The fresh capital will fund production ramp-up and global deployment of its Apollo humanoid robot at a time when Chinese manufacturers already dominate the market by a wide margin.
The extension was co-led by B Capital, chaired by Howard Morgan, and Google. Existing backers Mercedes-Benz and PEAK6 participated alongside new investors AT&T Ventures, John Deere, and Qatar Investment Authority, as reported by TechCrunch. The round roughly triples Apptronik’s valuation from its initial $415 million Series A closed one year earlier.
Apollo: From NASA’s Valkyrie to Factory Floors
The Apollo robot represents the culmination of nearly a decade of development across 15 preceding robot platforms, including NASA’s Valkyrie (R5) humanoid, according to SiliconAngle. Standing 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds, Apollo can lift up to 55 pounds and operate for four hours on a single battery charge, with an option to run continuously via a tethered power connection. A built-in safety perimeter automatically slows or pauses the robot when a human approaches.
Apptronik is targeting manufacturing and logistics as its initial commercial markets. Mercedes-Benz and GXO Logistics are already testing Apollo units in factories and warehouses, while Jabil is collaborating on production scaling, as reported by SiliconAngle. Tasks include transporting components, sorting, and kitting work. The company plans to expand into retail, healthcare, and residential applications over time.
“Today’s investment is a strong vote of confidence in our mission to deliver humanoid robots that are designed to work alongside humans, not just as tools but as trusted collaborators,” CEO Jeff Cardenas said in the company’s announcement, as reported by CNBC.
The Google DeepMind Partnership
Among Apptronik’s strategic advantages is its partnership with Google DeepMind to develop the next generation of humanoid robots powered by Gemini Robotics models, according to SiliconAngle. The collaboration aims to pair DeepMind’s advances in embodied artificial intelligence with Apptronik’s hardware expertise. Google’s participation as a co-lead investor in the extension underscores the depth of that relationship.
Howard Morgan, chairman of B Capital, described Apptronik as “setting the standard in embodied AI at scale,” according to CNBC.
A Market China Already Owns
Apptronik’s fundraise comes against the backdrop of overwhelming Chinese dominance in the humanoid robot market. According to an analysis by Rest of World, Chinese companies accounted for roughly 90 percent of the estimated 13,000 to 18,000 humanoid units sold globally in 2025. Unitree led all manufacturers with approximately 5,500 units shipped, followed by Shanghai-based Agibot with 5,168 units. By contrast, Tesla, Figure AI, and Agility Robotics each shipped only around 150 units.
The disparity stems from what analyst Lian Jye Su described to Rest of World as “a combination of policy support, public investment, mature supply chain, and advancements made in AI software and hardware.” China designated humanoid robotics as a priority industrial area in its 14th Five-Year Plan in 2021, and companies like Unitree have driven prices down aggressively, with models like the G1 available for approximately $16,000.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has acknowledged the competitive threat, stating that “China is very good at AI, very good at manufacturing, and will definitely be the toughest competition for Tesla,” according to Rest of World. Tesla’s Optimus humanoid may not reach public sales until late 2027.
What We Don’t Know
Apptronik has not disclosed specific production volume targets or a timeline for when Apollo units will move beyond pilot deployments into full commercial availability. The company’s Robotics-as-a-Service pricing model has not been detailed publicly. It also remains unclear how the new robot model Apptronik plans to debut later in 2026 will differ from the current Apollo platform.
Whether Western humanoid companies can compete on software and AI sophistication while Chinese manufacturers hold commanding advantages in cost and volume is the central open question for the sector. The global humanoid robot market is projected to reach $38 billion by 2035 and potentially $5 trillion by 2050, according to Rest of World, but how that value will be distributed between U.S. and Chinese players remains deeply uncertain.
The Broader Funding Surge
Apptronik’s near-billion-dollar war chest is part of an industry-wide capital influx. Robotics startups collectively raised nearly $14 billion in 2025, up from $8.2 billion in 2024, according to TechCrunch. In January 2026 alone, Skild AI announced a $1.4 billion raise that tripled its valuation to over $14 billion. With nearly 300 employees and plans to expand its Austin facilities and open a California office, Apptronik is positioning itself as the leading U.S.-based humanoid contender in what is rapidly becoming one of the most capital-intensive races in technology.