Jeff Cardenas, Co-Founder & CEO at Apptronik
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AI
Not Publicly Disclosed/mo
Not Publicly Disclosed ARR

Jeff CardenasCo-Founder & CEO

In this interview, Apptronik co-founder and CEO Jeff Cardenas outlines the rapid expansion of physical AI and humanoid robotics. Speaking at the Race Summit in Paris, he explains the three commercial phases of robotics, the significance of precision manipulation, and the role of their newly launched data factory, Robot Park. Cardenas also discusses Apptronik's NASA heritage, their modular robot Apollo 2, and the global race for robotics leadership between the United States and China.

Jeff Cardenas

Jeff Cardenas

Co-Founder & CEO

Apptronik

Apptronik

Founder Stats

  • AI
  • Started 2016
  • Not Publicly Disclosed/mo
  • 300+ team
  • Austin, Texas, United States.

About Jeff Cardenas

Jeff Cardenas is the co-founder and CEO of Apptronik, a leading humanoid robotics company based in Austin, Texas. Under his leadership, the company has raised a record 935 million USD Series A to scale its flagship general-purpose robot, Apollo. With a background working on NASA's Valkyrie robot, Cardenas has spent a decade building physical AI systems designed to serve as essential infrastructure for modern society.

Interview

July 10, 2026

Q

What is Apptronik's mission?

Question 1 of 16
Jeff Cardenas

Apptronik develops general-purpose humanoid robots designed to work alongside people and become foundational infrastructure for modern industries.

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Q

Why are humanoid robots gaining momentum now?

Question 2 of 16
Jeff Cardenas

Advances in AI infrastructure, foundation models, computing power, and robotics have accelerated development while industry demand has grown significantly.

0
Q

What has changed most over the past year?

Question 3 of 16
Jeff Cardenas

The industry has shifted from skepticism to broad excitement as companies increasingly recognize the commercial potential of physical AI.

0
Q

Why does Apptronik believe robots are infrastructure?

Question 4 of 16
Jeff Cardenas

Robots will eventually become a fundamental layer supporting manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, retail, and many other sectors.

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Q

What limits widespread humanoid adoption today?

Question 5 of 16
Jeff Cardenas

Safety, robust AI models, and reliable manipulation capabilities remain the biggest challenges before large-scale deployment.

0
Q

How does Apptronik view the adoption timeline?

Question 6 of 16
Jeff Cardenas

The company expects adoption to begin in manufacturing and logistics, followed by healthcare and retail, before eventually reaching homes.

0
Q

Why is dexterity such an important milestone?

Question 7 of 16
Jeff Cardenas

Fine manipulation enables robots to perform increasingly complex human tasks that require precision and touch.

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Q

How does Apptronik collect training data?

Question 8 of 16
Jeff Cardenas

The company combines robot-generated data, human demonstrations, teleoperation, synthetic data, and simulation.

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Q

What is Robot Park?

Question 9 of 16
Jeff Cardenas

Robot Park is Apptronik's large-scale robotics data factory where humanoids continuously learn through real-world practice and data collection.

0
Q

Why are world models and synthetic data important?

Question 10 of 16
Jeff Cardenas

They accelerate robot learning while reducing dependence on manually collected demonstrations.

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Q

Why is Apollo modular?

Question 11 of 16
Jeff Cardenas

Customers can deploy wheeled or legged configurations depending on operational requirements while sharing the same AI platform.

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Q

How does Jeff view robotics in space?

Question 12 of 16
Jeff Cardenas

He believes robots will eventually outnumber humans in space because they can build, maintain, and expand extraterrestrial infrastructure.

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Q

How does the United States compare with China?

Question 13 of 16
Jeff Cardenas

The United States leads in AI models and robotics software, while China possesses enormous manufacturing scale and supply-chain advantages.

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Q

What differentiates Apptronik?

Question 14 of 16
Jeff Cardenas

Its combination of robotics expertise, AI integration, modular hardware, enterprise partnerships, and long-term commercialization strategy.

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Q

What is Apptronik focused on today?

Question 15 of 16
Jeff Cardenas

Execution. The company is scaling Apollo deployments, expanding pilots, improving hardware, and preparing its next commercial robot generation.

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Q

What gives Jeff confidence about the future?

Question 16 of 16
Jeff Cardenas

Strong customer demand, strategic partnerships, major funding, and rapid advances in embodied AI suggest robotics is entering a transformational era.

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Video Interviews with Jeff Cardenas

Jeff Cardenas, Apptronik | Machina Summit 2026

 Jeff Cardenas, Apptronik | Machina Summit 2026

Jeff Cardenas, Apptronik | Machina Summit 2026

The 3 Phases of Robotics: Apptronik's Roadmap to Commercial Viability

The 3 Phases of Robotics: Apptronik's Roadmap to Commercial Viability

The Google-Backed Startup Taking on Elon Musk in Humanoid Robotics

The Google-Backed Startup Taking on Elon Musk in Humanoid Robotics

Inside the race to build humanoid robots with Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas

Inside the race to build humanoid robots with Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas

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