Apptronik, founded out of NASA collaboration at UT Austin, developed Apollo — a 5'8" general-purpose humanoid robot targeting industrial environments. The company's February 2025 $403 million Series A, backed by Google DeepMind, Mercedes-Benz, and NVIDIA, positions it for commercial deployment in warehouses and manufacturing facilities.
Apptronik’s flagship humanoid robot carries a name that instantly makes you wonder: is it related to the famous space program, Apollo? Is this somehow related to the mission that landed humans on the Moon from 1969 to 1972? Yes, there’s a connection. The name reflects Apptronik‘s long standing collaboration with NASA. And that involves more than just its name.
The Apollo has a sleek white finish, which is very unusual for a humanoid robot. The humanoids from Tesla, Figure AI or Unitree Robotics are either dark, grey or metallic, they look really serious, even intimidating. Apollo is different. It has a friendly appearance with a head shaped like an old-school iMac, a face made of button eyes and a display. What stands out is its white appearance that evokes the iconic NASA spacesuit. This is not a coincidence.
The story started in the Human Centered Robotics Lab (HCRL) at the University of Texas at Austin. The UT Austin university is a global leader in innovation, boasting top-ranked programs in engineering, computer science, and robotics, and it’s home to over 50,000 students and more than 3,000 faculty members.
The HCRL is nestled within UT Austin’s Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, and it operates out of the renovated Anna Hiss Gymnasium, a historic building repurposed into a state-of-the-art robotics research center. It’s no surprise that the Lab attracts students and researchers from around the globe to Austin, drawn by the chance to work on projects like the DRACO bipedal robot and the LEGATO handheld gripper. Austin is also a great place to live and has been dubbed the “Live Music Capital of the World”.
In 2013, the Apptronik founders, Jeff Cardenas, Dr. Nicholas Paine, and Dr. Luis Sentis, were then part of the UT Austin research team, working hand-in-hand with NASA to develop Valkyrie, a 300-pound, electric-powered humanoid built to navigate human spaces and support space exploration.
Valkyrie excelled at tasks like walking in complex environments and manipulating objects with precision. It was a real trailblazer, setting the stage for future humanoid robots with its ability to operate in human-centric settings. The Valkyrie was showcased during the DARPA Robotics Challenge in 2013 and the ongoing NASA collaboration fueled Apptronik’s vision for robots that prioritize safety, versatility, and human connection.
By 2016, the team decided to spin out of UT Austin to form Apptronik, aiming to bring general-purpose robots to commercial markets.
Apptronik’s journey has been challenging. Raising funds proved difficult, as investors were skeptical about general-purpose robotics delivering substantial returns within a 5-to-10-year horizon. In the mid-2010s, AI was still maturing, lacking the transformative breakthroughs that we are witnessing today, and the industry remained fixated on specialized robots for predictable tasks in controlled environments, like factory assembly lines.
Resilient and pragmatic, Apptronik operated primarily on revenue for its first five years. CEO Jeff Cardenas noted, “Every robot we ever made, we sold,” Apptronik was scrappy and revenue-driven. To sustain operations, the company secured contracts with research institutions, government agencies like NASA, and early commercial clients, delivering custom robotic systems and components such as high-performance actuators and controllers.
In 2021, Apptronik secured a $14.6 million seed round from investors including Capital Factory, Grit Ventures, and Perot Jain, providing crucial capital to scale development of their humanoid robot.
Released in August 2023, Apollo embodies nearly a decade of innovation. By 2023, Apptronik had developed 15 distinct robotic systems, from bipedal prototypes to specialized upper-body robots like Astra, a teleoperated torso-up platform. Apollo is effectively Apptronik’s 16th creation.
Unlike traditional industrial robots confined to repetitive tasks, Apollo is a versatile, general-purpose humanoid capable of tackling diverse roles, from shuttling packages in warehouses to supporting assembly lines in manufacturing plants. Its design emphasizes safety, affordability, and seamless human collaboration, with a target price under $50,000 to democratize advanced robotics for industrial applications.
Standing 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds, Apollo is engineered to perform in dynamic human environments. With a four-hour battery life and a 55-pound payload capacity, it balances endurance and strength for real-world demands. It also includes several unique features not found on other humanoid robots: its swappable batteries allow it to operate nearly all day, provided enough charged units are available.Apollo’s lower body can be swapped for a wheeled base module, transforming it into a mobile platform for tasks requiring greater speed or stability on flat surfaces.
Apollo’s commercial applications are already being tested through pilot programs with industry leaders like Mercedes-Benz and GXO Logistics. At Mercedes-Benz’s Hungary plant, Apollo handles low-skill, physically demanding tasks, while GXO Logistics is exploring its potential to enhance efficiency in distribution centers. These partnerships demonstrate Apollo’s ability to address labor-intensive roles in structured environments like factories and warehouses.
Apptronik‘s actuators offer exceptional energy efficiency, allowing longer operational periods. For instance, Apollo supports four hours of work per battery, with swappable batteries enabling continuous operation. This contrasts with competitors requiring extended charging times. Apollo’s modular design and 55-pound payload capacity further enhance flexibility and performance, allowing it to handle tasks requiring both strength and precision
In February 2025, Apptronik secured an oversubscribed $403 million Series A round, with $53 million added to its previously announced $350 million raise. This milestone demonstrates the growing confidence investors have in the humanoid robotics sector overall — and in particular, Apptronik.
Co-led by B Capital and Capital Factory, with participation from Google, Mercedes-Benz, and NVIDIA, this massive capital injection will be used to scale Apollo’s production, accelerate innovation, and expand the company’s workforce, which currently stands at over 150 employees. CEO Jeff Cardenas emphasized the funding’s role in moving from pilot programs to full commercialization, with plans to increase headcount by 50% over the next year.
There are three notable partnerships: Google DeepMind, Mercedes-Benz, and Jabil.
A key driver for Apptronik’s growth is its strategic partnership with Google DeepMind, announced in December 2024. The partnership focuses on enabling natural language understanding and spatial reasoning. Google DeepMind’s advanced AI, including the Gemini 2.0 model, will likely integrate with Apptronik’s cutting-edge hardware to enhance Apollo’s embodied intelligence.
Mercedes-Benz invested a “low double-digit million-euro sum” as part of Apptronik’s Series A funding round. This investment was accompanied by a collaboration agreement to pilot Apptronik’s Apollo humanoid robots in Mercedes-Benz’s manufacturing facilities, specifically for tasks like moving components and performing quality checks at their Digital Factory Campus in Berlin-Marienfelde and in Kecskemét, Hungary.
The partnership with Jabil, a global manufacturing services leader, is pivotal for scaling Apollo’s production. Announced in early 2025, this collaboration leverages Jabil’s expertise in high-volume manufacturing and supply chain management to accelerate the production of Apollo robots, ensuring Apptronik can meet growing demand from industrial clients while maintaining quality and cost efficiency. This is a critical partnership as Apptronik will have to compete with Tesla which is used to scale operations.
Apptronik’s roadmap is ambitious yet grounded, balancing rapid commercialization with transformative societal impact. In 2025, the company announced plans to prioritize Apollo’s commercial viability through expanded pilot programs, targeting full-scale deployment by 2026.
Their commercial strategy relies on a Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, where customers subscribe to Apollo’s services rather than purchasing the robot outright. This subscription will likely include maintenance, support, and software updates, reducing risks for clients adopting humanoid robots. The RaaS approach not only facilitates seamless scaling of operations but also ensures predictable revenue and nurtures long-term customer relationships.
We are now entering an era of transformation, and Apollo is going to play a large role in this robotics revolution, redefining how humans and machines collaborate across industries.
