THG News · Funding
Apptronik Raises $520 Million, Bringing Its Series A to $935 Million
· Updated
Humanoid robot developer Apptronik announced on February 11, 2026 that it had raised another $520 million, bringing the total for its Series A round to $935 million, TechCrunch reported.
TechCrunch said the new money came from earlier investors Google, Mercedes-Benz and B Capital, alongside new investors. Bloomberg reported that the new backers included AT&T Ventures, John Deere and the Qatar Investment Authority.
Valuation and round history
Apptronik did not disclose its valuation, but TechCrunch reported that its post-money valuation is about $5.3 billion. Bloomberg reported the valuation at more than $5.5 billion, roughly triple its previous level.
The round has been extended more than once. According to TechCrunch, Apptronik announced a $350 million Series A a year earlier and then expanded it to $415 million, which the company attributed to strong demand. TechCrunch, citing PitchBook, said the latest extension values the company at roughly triple the initial Series A valuation of around $1.75 billion.
TechCrunch put the raise in competitive context, noting that Figure AI had raised nearly $2 billion since its 2022 founding before announcing a further $1 billion round in the fall of 2025.
Partners and the Mercedes-Benz link
Part of the investor interest stems from Apptronik's partnerships with Google DeepMind, logistics company GXO and Mercedes-Benz to deliver what the industry calls embodied AI, TechCrunch reported. Bloomberg described a strategic partnership with Google DeepMind to develop humanoid robots using its Gemini Robotics AI models.
Mercedes-Benz is both a shareholder and a development partner. Bloomberg described the carmaker's relationship with Apptronik as a partnership to develop humanoid robots, and TechCrunch listed Mercedes-Benz among the earlier investors that joined the extension.
The company's humanoid work predates its 2016 founding, according to TechCrunch, which reported that it dates back to 2013, when members of the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin competed in the NASA-DARPA Robotics Challenge with a robot called Valkyrie.
Next version of Apollo
Apptronik is also preparing a new version of its Apollo humanoid. The Association for Advancing Automation reported on February 19, 2026 that the next Apollo had been in testing at Apptronik facilities for about a year and that a public debut was expected in 2026, later than first planned.
"We've always prided ourselves on substance. One of the bars that I have is if I can show you something in a video, I should be able to show you the same thing in person live," CEO Jeff Cardenas told the association.
Sources
- Humanoid robot startup Apptronik has now raised $935M at a $5B+ valuation (TechCrunch)
- Humanoid Maker Apptronik Triples Valuation to Over $5.5 Billion With New Funding (Bloomberg)
- This Year's Model: Apptronik's Next Apollo Is Nearly Ready for Its Closeup (Association for Advancing Automation (A3))