Agility Robotics to Debut on Nasdaq as First US-Listed Humanoid Robot Company

Zhitong Finance APP learned that Agility Robotics is about to become the first company in the United States focused on humanoid robots to go public, which is an important milestone for an emerging category that still needs to prove its own value.

This startup company has previously completed a merger with the special purpose acquisition company Churchill Capital Corp. XI and began trading on the Nasdaq on Thursday, with the stock ticker "AGLT". The statement shows that the company has approximately 465,000,000 USD in funds before deducting expenses, which includes approximately 201,000,000 USD in private equity investment led by Foxconn. Other well-known supporters include Nvidia (NVDA.US), Amazon (AMZN.US), and SoftBank Vision Fund 2.

Agility is one of many companies developing humanoid robots; these humanoid robots can walk upright or move on wheels. To date, these robots have primarily been used in commercial scenarios such as warehouses and factories. The Chinese enterprise Unitree went public in Shanghai in August, but Agility is the first company among its peers to go public in the United States.

This startup, headquartered in Oregon, has approximately 400 employees and is expanding its cooperation with GXO Logistics (GXO.US) to deploy its robots to more facilities, while also conducting a manufacturing pilot with AGCO Corporation (AGCO.US).

Chief Executive Officer Peggy Johnson stated in an interview: “I think what is more important is what happens next after AI steps out of the digital world.” She was referring to the way artificial intelligence is now being applied in robots and other hardware. “Bringing intelligent robots into more workplaces is the real opportunity; when machines and humans truly work in synergy, it will fundamentally change the boundaries of possibility.”

Agility believes its latest humanoid robot Digit 5 helps fill labor shortages, especially in warehouses. This new model, released in September, is designed to perform complex tasks such as loading materials onto equipment, sorting parts, and inspecting items. In contrast, the earlier Digit 4 could only handle simpler tasks like stacking plastic bins. The new model can also operate safely near humans, whereas previous generations had to operate behind physical safety barriers, limiting their ability to take on human tasks.

Agility stated that Digit 5 has already secured multi-year committed orders worth over 300,000,000 USD. The company's humanoid robot has been used by 9 customers and is undergoing active sales negotiations with more than 30 potential commercial customers. This startup has committed to deploying Digit in 12 customer facilities, and its goal is to establish a pipeline of 100 potential customers across multiple industries, such as automotive, retail, and pharmaceuticals, by the end of 2027.

Johnson cited a 2024 study by Deloitte stating that the number of job vacancies that U.S. manufacturing cannot fill is expected to increase to approximately 1,900,000 by 2033.

She previously served as the CEO of the augmented reality and mixed reality company Magic Leap, and she said: “The labor gaps that Digit excels at filling will only continue to widen. Many companies are unclear on how to obtain the manpower to complete these difficult-to-fill, higher-turnover tasks.”

Johnson believes that as Wall Street adapts to this new category, there will still be an educational process. However, she stated that the company should be evaluated with the same metrics as other automation technology providers, including high throughput and accuracy.

She said: “I think what is truly worth noting is that Digit 5 can be updated via over-the-air (OTA) upgrades, so we can teach it new skills. As these additional deployments collect more data, all of this will turn into a flywheel for training.”

Currently, humanoid robots with legs like Digit 5 bring some unique challenges, especially because they are less predictable than their wheeled counterparts, posing a greater safety risk to humans. Johnson stated that going public made her feel some pressure, “Because we are the first to sprint ahead, we will become a reference point for other companies, not just for those metrics, but also for safety.”

She added that, but the company's past operations in various environments have allowed the team to learn a lot.

She said: “Demonstrations can show what is possible, but real deployment will teach you what works; we have learned a lot over the past three years. We are able to walk into these facilities, perform real work, and be compensated for it.”