# Jeff Cardenas

> Jeff Cardenas is the co-founder and CEO of Apptronik, an Austin-based robotics company building Apollo, a general-purpose AI-powered humanoid robot. He spun the company out of the University of Texas Human Centered Robotics Lab in 2016 and has since raised close to $1 billion, secured a strategic partnership with Google DeepMind's Gemini Robotics, and positioned the company among the small handful of credible US humanoid players. He frames the race to build practical humanoids as the 'space race of our time.'

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Apptronik
- **Organizations:** Apptronik, University of Texas at Austin (IC2 Institute), Deloitte Consulting
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BBA, Business, University of Texas at Austin, MS, Technology Commercialization (MSTC), University of Texas at Austin
- **Known for:** Co-founded and leads Apptronik, valued around $5 billion in 2026, Raised more than $935 million in Series A funding and nearly $1 billion total, Brought Apollo, a commercial general-purpose humanoid robot, to market

## Career timeline

- **2008** — Earned BBA from UT Austin; worked in the Technology practice at Deloitte Consulting
- **2013** — Completed MS in Technology Commercialization at UT Austin; worked in the Global Commercialization Group at the IC2 Institute
- **2016** — Co-founded Apptronik with Dr. Nick Paine and Dr. Luis Sentis, spun out of UT's Human Centered Robotics Lab
- **2023** — Unveiled Apollo, Apptronik's first commercial general-purpose humanoid robot
- **2025** — Closed a $415M+ oversubscribed initial Series A; named a 2025 Automotive News All-Star; partnered with Jabil for manufacturing
- **2026** — Raised $520M Series A extension at a ~$5B valuation, bringing total Series A past $935M; partnered with Google DeepMind's Gemini Robotics; opened Robot Park data factory

## Achievements

- Co-founded and leads Apptronik, valued around $5 billion in 2026
- Raised more than $935 million in Series A funding and nearly $1 billion total
- Brought Apollo, a commercial general-purpose humanoid robot, to market
- Secured strategic investors including Google, Mercedes-Benz, John Deere, AT&T Ventures and the Qatar Investment Authority
- Established a strategic partnership with Google DeepMind's Gemini Robotics
- Named a 2025 Automotive News All-Star
- Opened Robot Park, a 90,000 square foot humanoid data factory

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Apptronik launched Robot Park, a 90,000 sq ft humanoid data factory to train Apollo with Google DeepMind, and teased a new robot.
- **2026-06** — Bloomberg profiled Apptronik's walking humanoids, with Cardenas taking a measured tone on progress.
- **2026-02** — Closed a $520M Series A extension at a ~$5B valuation, pushing total Series A past $935M.

## Links

- Website: https://apptronik.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-cardenas/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/jeffcardn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apptronik/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jeff-cardenas
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-16