Agility Robotics plans to go public via SPAC in a $2.5B deal
TechCrunch
β’Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:48:43 +0000
π° What Happened
Agility Robotics, the Oregon-based humanoid robotics startup that spun out of Oregon State University in 2015, announced plans to go public through a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Churchill Capital Corp XI in a deal valuing the company at approximately $2.5 billion. The transaction is expected to generate more than $620 million in proceeds, including approximately $200 million from new and existing institutional investors. Agility is best known for its bipedal robot Digit, which is already deployed across nine customer sites including Schaeffler, GXO, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, and Mercado Libre.
The company plans to use the capital raised to increase production capacity of its next-generation Digit v5 humanoid robot, fulfill existing orders, and expand its customer base. Agility reported that it has secured more than $300 million in multi-year orders for the new model and has a pipeline of over 30 potential customers evaluating large-scale deployments. CEO Peggy Johnson, a former Microsoft executive, said that commercially deployed humanoids already operating in customer environments are helping enterprises address labor shortages, improve efficiency, and integrate AI-powered automation. The company counts Amazon, Nvidia, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and DCVC among its notable backers.
π The Backstory
Agility Robotics was founded in 2015 as a spin-out from Oregon State University's Dynamic Robotics Laboratory. Its flagship robot, Digit, is a bipedal humanoid designed to work alongside humans in logistics and warehousing environments, capable of walking, climbing stairs, and manipulating objects. The company gained significant attention when Amazon began testing Digit for warehouse automation in 2023. Agility operates in the rapidly growing humanoid robotics sector, which has attracted enormous investment as companies seek to address labor shortages in logistics, manufacturing, and supply chain operations. Competitors include Tesla's Optimus, Boston Dynamics, Figure AI, and 1X Technologies. The SPAC route to going public, while less common than traditional IPOs, has been used by several high-profile technology companies, though the SPAC market experienced a significant downturn in 2022-2023 before recovering.
π― Why It Matters
Agility's SPAC deal represents one of the largest public market debuts for a humanoid robotics company, signaling growing investor confidence that humanoid robots are transitioning from research projects to commercially viable products. The $300 million in multi-year orders already secured suggests real market demand, not just hype. The successful public listing could open the door for other robotics startups to follow suit, potentially accelerating the timeline for humanoid robot deployment in warehouses, factories, and other commercial settings.
Agility Robotics, the Oregon-based humanoid robotics startup that spun out of Oregon State University in 2015, announced plans to go public through a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Churchill Capital Corp XI in a deal valuing the company at approximately $2.5 billion. The transaction is expected to generate more than $620 million in proceeds, including approximately $200 million from new and existing institutional investors. Agility is best known for its bipedal robot Digit, which is already deployed across nine customer sites including Schaeffler, GXO, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, and Mercado Libre.
The company plans to use the capital raised to increase production capacity of its next-generation Digit v5 humanoid robot, fulfill existing orders, and expand its customer base. Agility reported that it has secured more than $300 million in multi-year orders for the new model and has a pipeline of over 30 potential customers evaluating large-scale deployments. CEO Peggy Johnson, a former Microsoft executive, said that commercially deployed humanoids already operating in customer environments are helping enterprises address labor shortages, improve efficiency, and integrate AI-powered automation. The company counts Amazon, Nvidia, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and DCVC among its notable backers.
Agility Robotics was founded in 2015 as a spin-out from Oregon State University's Dynamic Robotics Laboratory. Its flagship robot, Digit, is a bipedal humanoid designed to work alongside humans in logistics and warehousing environments, capable of walking, climbing stairs, and manipulating objects. The company gained significant attention when Amazon began testing Digit for warehouse automation in 2023. Agility operates in the rapidly growing humanoid robotics sector, which has attracted enormous investment as companies seek to address labor shortages in logistics, manufacturing, and supply chain operations. Competitors include Tesla's Optimus, Boston Dynamics, Figure AI, and 1X Technologies. The SPAC route to going public, while less common than traditional IPOs, has been used by several high-profile technology companies, though the SPAC market experienced a significant downturn in 2022-2023 before recovering.
Agility's SPAC deal represents one of the largest public market debuts for a humanoid robotics company, signaling growing investor confidence that humanoid robots are transitioning from research projects to commercially viable products. The $300 million in multi-year orders already secured suggests real market demand, not just hype. The successful public listing could open the door for other robotics startups to follow suit, potentially accelerating the timeline for humanoid robot deployment in warehouses, factories, and other commercial settings.