Apptronik closes $935 Million Series A, CB Insights cites robotics as major AI driver
(Because AI is everywhere in consumption figures but not so much in production yet)
We had a great Bots, Bevs and Devs during the week at Addverb in Fremont, with 70+ keen roboticists who appreciated the chance to hear from Tapan Pattnayak, Distinguished Scientist at Addverb and his colleagues.
Delighted to host the Robotics Crowd of Bay Area at Addverb Center of Excellence for the Bots n Beer event. Thank you Andra Keay Andreas Bihlmaier Kartik Venkataraman Zachary L. Amit Goel Amir Sharif and many engineers from waymo, Google,Meta, TRI, Infineon, Renesas, Nvidia, Sima, many Robotics startups, system integrators. Sorry if I missed anyone.
This small 5 member team of Addverb research set up US business from 0 revenue to 50 Million, ran full stack AGV /AMR, ran humanoid, Quadruped Controller, brought wireless safety, Humanoid motor drive.
We had also the pleasure to showcase Addverb Safety Brain ,Addverb 3D Lidar, Addverb BMS. More release coming soon. Stay tuned. Tapan Pattnayak, Addverb
Addverb is a global leader in robotics, offering innovative warehouse automation solutions with intelligent robots, powered by modular software.
Also Lakshay Sharma gave a short talk about Cerulion’s robot developer suite while Ken Miller from Stakabl demo’d their ceiling robot modules and Amir Sharif from 3 Laws inspired us to build more robots faster in order to meet the upcoming demographic crisis.
“One moment that stayed with me was a macro discussion around demographic shifts, and what aging populations mean for manufacturing, labor, and automation. The robotics opportunity is not just technological, it’s structural.
It was also incredible to see Addverb, an Indian-origin robotics company, presenting their advancements and pushing new frontiers globally. Watching companies from diverse geographies integrate into the Silicon Valley fabric reinforces how global this movement truly is.” Vatsal Raj, Cynlyr Robotics
Cerulion is a robot development suite that just works. Simulate, integrate and deploy fearlessly with up to 1000x faster communications and 10x quicker bug-free dev. If you’re sick of micromanaging fragile ROS runtimes or Isaac Sim’s CUDA issues, let’s chat: we’re here to refocus you on the stuff that matters!
Stakabl is developing patented ceiling-based robotic storage and delivery logistics systems enabling in-store micro fulfillment centers for grocery, pharmacy, retail, convenience stores, etc. Systems are small enough to be integrated into homes and can automatically fulfill, hand-off and receive orders directly to/from sidewalk delivery robots.
3 Laws is redefining robotics safety so existing systems perform radically better and commercial humanoid and physical AI deployments become viable.
The Fremont area is becoming quite the hotbed of cool robotics companies with four more in the same complex as Addverb!
Want to host an event or reach the robotics community?
Many companies are reaching out about hosting events, outreach or hiring and we have a great community network, of people looking for work, of investors interested in deal flow and of technologists interested in learning about the latest advances.
Would you be interested in having a company table at a Robotics Career Fair in March? Or something customized specifically for your goals? Reach out here!
The Foundry of the Future: How CircuitLaunch is Forging Silicon Valley’s Robotics Revolution
The opening of CircuitLaunch’s Mountain View co-facturing campus a year ago marked a significant milestone for Silicon Valley’s robotics community. This expansion brought its unique ecosystem, which started in Oakland, into the heart of the tech world. This wasn’t just any new office; it was the second campus for a community that has quickly become the undisputed center of gravity for the region’s hardware and robotics industry. Read more here
Apptronik Closes Over $935 Million Series A with New $520 Million Extension Round
Repeat investors including B Capital, Google, Mercedes-Benz and PEAK6, alongside new investors including AT&T Ventures, John Deere and QIA, back Apptronik to scale production and deployment of Apollo™ humanoid robots
With this fresh capital, Apptronik will ramp up production of its award-winning humanoid robot, Apollo™, and expand its global network of commercial and pilot deployments. The investment will accelerate time to market and enable Apptronik to invest in projects that are needed to solve the use cases of its large number of retail, manufacturing, and logistics customers, including building state-of-the-art facilities for robot training and data collection. The funding will also fuel continued innovation in the company’s pioneering human-centered robot design, paving the way for its highly anticipated new robot set to debut in 2026.
Apptronik has inked partnerships with some of the largest brands in the world, including Mercedes-Benz, GXO Logistics, and Jabil. Apptronik also has an industry-leading strategic partnership with Google DeepMind to build the next generation of humanoid robots, powered by Gemini Robotics.
“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,” said Jeff Cardenas, co-founder and CEO of Apptronik. “With the backing of our longstanding investors and strategic partners, we’re poised to unveil the newest version of Apollo and maximize the impact of embodied AI across industries. Together, we’re transforming work flows, reimagining factory floors, and writing a new chapter for next-generation humanoid robots that are designed and built to drive meaningful societal progress.” Read more at Apptronik
CB Insights cites robotics as major AI driver
A record $200B+ in venture funding drove advances in reasoning, agents, and physical applications, with LLM developers capturing 41% of total investment to sustain frontier model development.
Record M&A activity and a jump in scaling AI unicorns underscore the landscape’s momentum heading into 2026.
Below, we break down the top stories from the year’s report, including:
AI deals soften in back half of the year as funding soars
Robotics leads tech sector activity
Record M&A wave highlights corporate AI agent ambitions
Rising AI startups are racing to scale
Robotics leads tech sector activity
Of the major tech and industry sectors we track, robotics hardware & software companies captured the largest share of AI deals in 2025 at 11.4%.
Over the last 5 years, robotics has maintained its share of the growing pool of AI deals as other industry tech sectors have lost ground. In second place, digital health captured 8.3% of AI deals in 2025, down from 12.9% in 2021. Similarly, fintech captured 6.5% of deals, down from 9.7% in 2021.
Overall, both funding and deals to AI robotics startups (excluding LLM developers) hit record highs in 2025.
AI advances are enabling robots to perform increasingly complex tasks across diverse environments, from manufacturing floors to the battlefield. Top rounds in 2025 went to companies across defense applications (Helsing, Anduril, Saronic), humanoid robotics & models (Figure, Physical Intelligence, Skild), and autonomous driving (Applied Intuition, Neolix).
Learn more about the robotics opportunity in our latest State of Venture report.
⚡ SkyDeck has extended its application deadline to February 17 at 11:59pm PT!
Accepted startups will unlock:
💸 $200K in funding from the Berkeley SkyDeck Fund
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✨ Direct intros to Silicon Valley’s elite investors
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🌍 Open to startups worldwide — no UC affiliation required. SkyDeck gives you the funding, mentorship, and community to grow faster and smarter.
📺 Watch an info session: https://lnkd.in/gi8zgnbd
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Hat tip to Steph Okay for sharing this great post about startup reality! Read it here.
Silicon Valley Robotics Investor/Startup Database
Are you a startup fundraising atm? Fill out our “For Investors Eyes Only” sheet.
These investors write checks anywhere from angel and seed stage to $5-50 million.
Feedback from the startups - high quality inbound interest from investors.
Feedback from the investors - incredible depth and range of robotics startups.
If you’re an accredited investor and haven’t already signed up for the spreadsheet - Sign up here for great robotics deal flow!
Robotics News
Trener Robotics announce $32M Series A and a rebrand
Trener Robotics (formerly T-ROBOTICS) closed the round led by Engine Ventures and IAG Capital Partners, with strategic investments from Cadence and Geodesic Capital through Nikon’s NFocus Fund, bringing their total funding to over $38M.
Two years ago, Lars Tingelstad and I founded the company to bring to life a vision shaped by 14 years of research. Robots must do far more than repeat pre-programmed motions. They must learn skills, anticipate the world, and improvise intelligently, while delivering a beautiful human interaction with industrial-grade performance.
In short, we set out to build the foundational intelligence layer for industrial automation.
Fluid Reality live stream the sense of touch
This is a new prototype system for high-resolution, end-to-end touch teleoperation.
Teleoperation is the highest quality data source for Physical AI robot training, and touch teleoperation data promises to be even better. Systems like these are what will solve the Last Millimeter Problem (tm) in robotics. Read more here
RealBotix’s Transition: From Adult Novelty to Embodied AI
Longtime robotics investor Oliver Mitchell goes deeper than most into the story of RealBotix and what the future of social interaction might look like, taking into account perspectives from both industry and ethicists. Read more here
Geek+ launch Gino 1 humanoid robot
Geek+ launched Gino 1, the world’s first warehouse-native humanoid robot, aiming to unlock a trillion-dollar automation market still dominated by manual labor. With the launch, Geek+ becomes the only company in the industry offering a full product stack for warehouse scenarios—spanning autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), specialized robotic arms, and now general-purpose humanoid robots. Read more here
Inside Startups goes deep inside one of the most advanced robotics labs in Silicon Valley
In his YouTube program Inside Startups, producer Will Phillips offers an in-depth look at early-stage technology that aims to change the world. A recent episode brought Phillips to SRI’s Menlo Park headquarters, where he explored three projects that are shaping the future of robotics.
One of the major changes AI will bring is to robotics, now part of the physical AI movement. SRI has collaborated with Autonomique, which has launched its AI-enabled robot. We are working with companies that want to use robots in areas that are expensive or currently impossible to utilize.
If you have a use case to discuss, reach out to Bill Rusitzky at SRI International.
Humanoid launch a documentary on the humanoid race
Today, we’re releasing our new documentary, an honest look at what it really takes to be part of the humanoid race.
What does it mean to build a humanoid in seven months, and the next one in just five? How do you move forward when breakthroughs from a year ago already feel like old news? Spoiler: we love the energy.
In this film, you’ll hear directly from our engineering, hardware, product, and other teams sharing their perspectives on the journey of turning physical AI into reality.
Robot fights in SF draw crowds, researchers not impressed
Ken Goldberg calls the boxing matches ‘robot theater’ and he’s right. However, I’m impressed that 13 year old VR pilot Dash (son of a real robot builder) won the event and that people paid $60-80 for tickets on the Superbowl weekend! Read more here
Pepper is in the Guiness World Record Book!
Pepper has now been entered in the Guinness World Record book as the first mass-produced humanoid service robot. Congratulations to the former Softbank Robotics team on the recognition! Hat tip to Angelica Lim for sharing. Read more here
Send me your 2025 progress and 2026 plans for potential inclusion in Robots&Startups.
Robotics Events
The next SVR Robotics Leadership Event is coming in early 2026 followed by another IEEE Hard Tech Venture Summit in Silicon Valley!
SVR Robotics Career Fair - TBC March
Drones and Robotics AI Summit - New York - March 26
European Robotics Forum - Norway - Mar 23 - Mar 27
IEEE Haptics Symposium - Reno - March 29 to Apr 1
IEEE Hard Tech Venture Summit and Robotics Manufacturing Workshop (with Silicon Valley Robotics) - SRI International - April 16-17
SVR Robotics Leadership Event - TBC April
Robotics Invest - Boston - May 26-27
ICRA 2026 - Vienna, Austria - Jun 01 - Jun 05
Deep Tech Week - SF - Jun 21 - Jun 25
Robotics: Science and Systems - Sydney, Australia - Jul 13 - Jul 16
IROS 2026 - Pittsburgh - Sep 27 - Oct 1
IEEE Humanoids 2026 - Silicon Valley - Dec 6-9
The annual IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots is the internationally recognized prime event of the humanoid robotics community. The conference is sponsored by the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society and coordinated by the Technical Committee on Humanoids.
Join the organizing team at Silicon Valley Robotics - bots&beer@svrobo.org
Apptronik’s $935M Series A is a strong signal that as AI saturates consumption, the next big unlock is bringing it into production—robotics is where models translate into real-world throughput, safety, and durable value.
You also have RobCo in Germany that raised 100M at Series C to pursue its expansion in the US market. In a recent piece, we actually found out that their success was based on their commercial hires. They switched from hardware profiles to SaaS profiles to drive revenue.