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Google, Mercedes-Benz back $935m series A in US robotics firm
Apptronik, a Texas-based robotics firm, announced it has raised over US$935 million through a series A funding extension, including a US$520 million round, bringing total capital raised to nearly US$1 billion.
The company, which develops AI-powered humanoid robots, received backing from existing investors such as B Capital, Google, Mercedes-Benz, and PEAK6, along with new investors including AT&T Ventures, John Deere, and Qatar Investment Authority.
The funds will support increased production of its humanoid robot Apollo™ and expand deployment efforts across industries like manufacturing and logistics.
Apptronik plans to build new facilities for robot training and data collection and to accelerate the launch of a new robot expected in 2026.
The company has partnerships with brands like Mercedes-Benz and GXO Logistics, and collaborates with Google DeepMind to develop next-generation humanoid robots.
🔗 Source: Apptronik
🧠 Food for thought
Implications, context, and why it matters.
A roughly $5.3 billion bet on a long-term robotics plan
- The round puts Apptronik near a $5.3 billion valuation. Apollo robots still run in early deployments within set zones at partner-run factories and warehouses 12.
- One backer expects $1 billion in orders starting in 2027. That investor prices Apollo at about $80,000 a year 1.
- CEO Jeff Cardenas has avoided giving a firm date for wide production of Apollo 1.
- Cardenas calls the effort a new “space race.” He ties it to work on 15 earlier robotic systems, including NASA’s Valkyrie (a humanoid research robot built for disaster-response testing) 2.
A “body-and-brain” approach pairs custom hardware with broad AI
- Apptronik works with Google DeepMind (Google’s AI research lab). The plan includes using DeepMind’s Gemini Robotics AI models 134.
- Gemini Robotics-ER 1.5 handles planning and can call tools such as Google Search; it then sends steps to Gemini Robotics 1.5 to carry out actions 4.
- DeepMind talks about cross-embodiment learning, where skills move between different robot types, including Apptronik’s Apollo humanoid robot 45.
- Apptronik focuses on the body. That covers physical design, sensors, and actuators. Google DeepMind provides general-purpose models that can adapt across machines.
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