Humanoid robot startup Apptronik has now raised $935M at a $5B+ valuation
Source: TechCrunch
Funding round
University of Texas spinout Apptronik, a builder of humanoid robots for Google DeepMind among others, announced that it re‑opened its Series A to raise a total of $935 million. While the company did not disclose the exact valuation, TechCrunch learned that its post‑money valuation is now about $5.3 billion.
Apptronik previously announced a $350 million Series A a year ago, but demand was so strong that the round was expanded to $415 million. It has now raised an additional $520 million from earlier investors Google, Mercedes‑Benz, and B Capital, alongside new investors.
The company says its investors have paid progressively more for shares in each subsequent extension, valuing it at roughly triple the initial Series A valuation of around $1.75 billion (according to PitchBook). Although the amount raised is comparable to a Series B, Apptronik maintains the Series A label, stating it is still in the early stages of development and was not actively seeking funding—rather, it responded to inbound interest.
Background
Apptronik’s work on humanoid robots dates back to 2013, three years before the company was formally founded. Members of the Human‑Centered Robotics Lab from the University of Texas at Austin competed in the NASA‑DARPA Robotics Challenge with a robot called Valkyrie. Since then, the space agency has maintained a partnership with Apptronik as the company readied its own humanoid robot, Apollo.
Partnerships and technology
Apptronik has partnered with Google DeepMind, GXO, and Mercedes‑Benz to deliver what the industry calls embodied AI—robots capable of perceiving their environment and taking physical action based on reasoning, rather than following fixed instructions. The robots are being built for tasks such as unloading trailers, picking warehouse inventory, and tending machinery.
For context, a closely watched competitor, Figure AI, has raised nearly $2 billion total since its 2022 founding and announced a further $1 billion round last fall.
References
- Apptronik raises $350 M to build humanoid robots with help from Google (TechCrunch)
- Figure reaches $3.9 B valuation in latest funding round (TechCrunch)
- Apptronik partners with Google DeepMind Robotics (Apptronik press)
- NASA‑DARPA Robotics Challenge
- Valkyrie robot coverage (TechCrunch)
- Apptronik’s Apollo humanoid robot at CES 2025 (TechCrunch)