How Apptronik is accelerating the humanoid robot race

Apptronik’s Series A funding was co-led by B Capital and Capital Factory, with Google also participating. This funding round positions Apptronik among a growing number of humanoid companies attracting major investments.

Other notable examples include:

• Figure AI, which has raised $854 million, including a massive $675 million Series B round in February
• Agility Robotics, with at least $178 million raised (though the details of their recent investment from Schaeffler remain undisclosed)
• 1X Technologies, which has garnered $136.5 million, including a $100 million Series B round

A key aspect of Apptronik’s Series A funding, according to Cardenas, is the involvement of Texas-based Capital Factory. This organization, which provides mentorship, co-working spaces, and offices for entrepreneurs, assembled a large group of Texas families to contribute to the round. These families, having built their wealth in the oil and gas industry, are now seeking promising high-tech investments within the state.

For more about the growing interest in funding humanoid development, listen to The Robot Report Podcast interview with Jamie Lee, managing partner from Tamarak Global. Tamarak was one of the lead investors in Figure‘s $675 million last year, and Lee discussed interest among retail investors in the humanoid market. Cardenas validated this interest in his comments about Capital Factory.

For the first nine months of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025 — covering April 1 to Dec. 31, 2024 — FANUC reported mixed financial results, reflecting a global economy that is recovering but remains uncertain. Robot sales experienced a 16.4% decline, reaching ¥242,386 million, due to reduced sales across China, Europe, and the Americas.

The industrial robotics provider attributed its results to weaker demand from automobile-related manufacturing in these regions. However, strong demand from general industries in Japan partially offset these losses.

Carbon Robotics‘ Laserweeder has evolved from a fully autonomous mobile robot to its current “smart implement” form. The LaserWeeder G2 boasts faster speeds, a lighter weight, and greater power efficiency compared with its predecessor.

This system uses vision-targeted lasers to eliminate weeds as they emerge, offering a potential payback period of one to three years for equipment with a lifespan of seven to 10 years, according to the company. The G2 product family offers five configurations, all built around a redesigned core power and processing unit.