Jeff Cardenas
Co-founder and CEO of Apptronik, maker of the Apollo humanoid robot
Jeff Cardenas is a co-founder and the CEO of Apptronik, an AI-powered robotics company that builds the Apollo humanoid robot and collects real-world robot data with Google DeepMind's robotics team. Cardenas specializes in new product development and go-to-market strategy.15
Career
Before Apptronik, Cardenas worked in the Global Commercialization Group at the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, helping take innovations from research labs to market, and in the technology practice of Deloitte Consulting. Cardenas also previously founded several start-ups and a non-profit.1
Cardenas co-founded Apptronik, founded in 2016, and leads it as CEO, speaking for the company in its announcements on Apollo, its customer agreements and its work with Google DeepMind.124
Products and projects
Apptronik unveiled its Apollo humanoid robot in August 2023 and in March 2024 announced a commercial agreement with Mercedes-Benz to use Apollo for physically demanding manual work. In December 2024 it announced a research partnership with the Google DeepMind robotics team.234
In June 2026 Apptronik opened an expanded Robot Park facility for collecting real-world training data and unveiled Apollo 2, in bipedal and wheeled configurations, whose data feeds AI models developed with Google DeepMind.5
Work
Apollo humanoid robot (external site: apptronik.com)
Led Apptronik as co-founder and CEO through the August 2023 unveiling of Apollo and the 2026 launch of Apollo 2.25
Career timeline
2016
Co-founded Apptronik.1
Aug 23, 2023
Apptronik unveiled the Apollo humanoid robot.2
Mar 15, 2024
Apptronik announced a commercial agreement with Mercedes-Benz for Apollo.3
Dec 19, 2024
Apptronik announced a partnership with the Google DeepMind robotics team.4
Jun 30, 2026
Apptronik opened its expanded Robot Park and unveiled Apollo 2.5
Other documented roles
Roles the sources document but that are not confirmed as current.
Related people
More sourced profiles at the same organization, in the same field, or from the same school.
- Nicholas PaineAlso at Apptronik
- Alexander AminiRobotics
- Cho-Jui HsiehAlso from UT Austin
- Amnon ShashuaRobotics
- David HarwathAlso from UT Austin
- Anca DraganRobotics
- James E. DavisAlso from UT Austin
- Anton TroynikovRobotics
- Kenneth StanleyAlso from UT Austin
- Bob McGrewRobotics
- Rajat SenAlso from UT Austin
- Brett AdcockRobotics
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