Humanoid maker Agility Robotics to go public through SPAC merger

Agility Robotics Inc. announced today that it will go public via a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Churchill Capital Corp. XI. The transaction is expected to deliver more than $620 million in gross proceeds and value the Oregon-based humanoid robot maker at approximately $2.5 billion in pre-money equity. Agility said the deal will make it “the only U.S. publicly listed pure-play humanoid company with proven, active commercial deployments.”

The combined company will operate as Agility and list on a major North American exchange under the ticker “AGLT.” All existing Agility shareholders are rolling their equity into the combined entity and will be subject to a 180-day lockup after closing, which is expected later this year subject to regulatory approvals.

A decade of humanoid development reaches commercial scale

Founded in 2015 as a spin‑out from Oregon State University’s Dynamic Robotics Laboratory, Agility has moved from research platforms such as the bipedal Cassie to the commercially deployed humanoid Digit. The robot is currently operating in manufacturing, distribution, and logistics environments for customers including Amazon, GXO Logistics, Schaeffler, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, and Mercado Libre. Agility said Digit has logged more than 65,000 hours of operation across nine customer facilities and has moved over 100,000 totes for GXO alone, earning the company the inaugural RBR50 Robot of the Year award in 2024.

“We believe humanoids are at a meaningful inflection point in commercial adoption, and we are focused on meeting growing customer demand, expanding deployments, and advancing our roadmap,” said Peggy Johnson, CEO of Agility. She added that the addressable market across U.S. manufacturing, distribution, and logistics is estimated at $1 trillion.

Cooperatively safe design and next‑generation Digit

Agility’s approach centers on “cooperative safety,” allowing its robots to work alongside humans without heavy fencing. The latest version, Digit v5, can lift up to 50 pounds—a 40% increase over v4—operate for about 22 hours on a charge, and reach up to 7.2 feet. The robot’s physical AI platform, developed with collaborators including Google DeepMind and NVIDIA, enables perception and interaction in human‑centric environments. NVIDIA chose Agility as the launch partner for its NVIDIA Halos safety system.

Co‑founder and chief robot officer Jonathan Hurst noted that cooperative safety is “the critical unlock for scaled humanoid adoption.” The company has already secured more than $300 million in multi‑year orders for Digit v5, subject to contractual milestones.

Manufacturing infrastructure and RaaS model

Agility operates RoboFab, a full‑scale modular manufacturing facility in Salem, Oregon, designed to produce up to 10,000 units annually. The company owns many of Digit’s highest‑value hardware systems and sources approximately 75% of the robot’s parts within the U.S. Digit is available via a robotics‑as‑a‑service (RaaS) model or direct purchase; the current bill of materials for Digit v4 is $125,000, which Agility expects to reduce as volumes increase.

The company’s cloud‑based Agility Arc platform manages fleet orchestration, deployment, and integration with warehouse management systems. Agility said its Customer Acceleration Program helps enterprises move from pilot to full‑scale adoption.

Strategic investors and SPAC backers

Agility’s existing investors include DCVC, NVIDIA, Amazon, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Schaeffler, Foxconn, Abico, and Playground Global. The SPAC transaction includes a $200 million common stock PIPE at $10 per share, led by Foxconn with participation from other institutional investors. The boards of both companies unanimously approved the combination.

Churchill Capital CEO Michael Klein described Agility as “a humanoid first mover with proven technology, real‑world deployments, and the trust of some of the world’s most demanding enterprises.” Proceeds from the deal will fund existing customer orders, expand commercial deployments, scale Digit v5 production, and invest in the company’s integrated platform.

The source for this article is https://www.therobotreport.com/humanoid-maker-agility-robotics-go-public-through-spac-merger/.