DEPLOYDatabase

The people behind the robots

Who are the people building humanoid robots?

Read from the people graph

The humanoid field is led by a small set of named founders and executives, read live from DEPLOY's people graph.

Humanoid robots are built by a small, identifiable set of founders and executives, not by faceless labs. DEPLOY reads them live from its reviewed people graph: the founders and leaders of the makers that ship a humanoid model on the record. Each name is attributed to its registry record with the record's own provenance, so you see who is verified and who is reported, never a guess.

✓ Last verified Feb 27, 2026280 sources

Find out instantly when it changes.

Humanoid robotics is a surprisingly personal field. Behind almost every humanoid you have heard of is a named founder or a small founding team, and DEPLOY tracks them in its people graph rather than leaving them anonymous. This page reads that graph live, so the names below come straight from the reviewed record and not from anyone's memory.

The recognizable names recur across the coverage. Brett Adcock founded Figure. Bernt Bornich founded 1X. Jeff Cardenas co-founded Apptronik. Agility Robotics, Boston Dynamics, Unitree, and the rest each have their own founders and executives, and where DEPLOY holds a reviewed record for a person, this page names them, links to their profile, and shows the role the record attributes to them.

Provenance matters here, so the page keeps it honest. A role the registry has verified against a primary source, such as a securities filing or a company's own investor materials, carries the verified marker. A role the registry holds only as reported carries the reported marker instead. That distinction is the record's, not ours, and it is shown on every row so you can weigh each attribution.

This page is deliberately about the people. If you want to compare the companies themselves, on funding, deployments, patents, and commercial progress, that lives on the humanoid leaderboard, which this page links. Here the question is simpler and more human: who are the people actually building these machines? The roster below answers it from the record.

The founders and leaders, from the record

Each row is a reviewed person linked to a humanoid maker by a role edge in DEPLOY’s people graph. Founders are marked, and every role carries the record’s own provenance.

Founders and leaders of the humanoid makers (read live from the reviewed people graph)

Founders and leaders of the humanoid makers (read live from the reviewed people graph)
Source
Jesse TranFounder and CEOfounder1RobotPalo Alto, California, USAVerified on the record
Son LeFounder and CEOfounder1RobotPalo Alto, California, USAVerified on the record
Bernt BornichCEOfounder1X TechnologiesPalo Alto, CA, USA (R&D in Oslo, Norway)Verified on the record
Hiroshi IshiguroFounderfounderA-Lab FactoryTokyo, JapanReported role
Eom Yoon-seolFounder and CEOfounderAeiROBOTAnsan, Gyeonggi-do, South KoreaVerified on the record
Jae Kwon HanFounderfounderAeiROBOTAnsan, Gyeonggi-do, South KoreaVerified on the record
Deng TaihuaCEOfounderAgiBotShanghai, ChinaVerified on the record
Peng ZhihuiCTOfounderAgiBotShanghai, ChinaVerified on the record
Damion SheltonFounderfounderAgility RoboticsSalem, OR, USAVerified on the record
Yuhang HuCEOfounderAheadFormShanghai, ChinaReported role
Daryl LimCEOfounderAmity RoboticsThailandReported role
Xu WendaCTOfounderAnyverse DynamicsBeijing, ChinaReported role
Zhang YufengCEOfounderAnyverse DynamicsBeijing, ChinaReported role
Jeff CardenasCEOfounderApptronikAustin, Texas, USAVerified on the record
Luis SentisChief ScientistfounderApptronikAustin, Texas, USAVerified on the record
Nicholas PaineCTOfounderApptronikAustin, Texas, USAVerified on the record
Shunsuke AokiFounderfounderAtomTokyo, JapanReported role
Jerry PrattCEOfounderBoardwalk RoboticsPensacola, FLReported role
Cheng HaoCEOfounderBooster RoboticsBeijing, ChinaVerified on the record
Lu XiangyangFounderfounderBYD RoboticsShenzhen, ChinaVerified on the record
Wang ChuanfuFounderfounderBYD RoboticsShenzhen, ChinaVerified on the record
Zhang MiaoFounderfounderCASBOTBeijing, ChinaVerified on the record
Zhang ZhengtaoFounderfounderCASBOTBeijing, ChinaVerified on the record
Dhanush RadhakrishnanCEOfounderClone RoboticsSan Francisco, CAReported role
Ivan PisarenkoCEOfounderClone RoboticsSan Francisco, CAVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2021
Bill HuangFounderfounderCloudMindsBeijing, ChinaVerified on the record
Shikha VirmaniFounderfounderCyborg RoboticsShenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaVerified on the record
Bill HuangFounder and CEOfounderDataa RoboticsShanghai, ChinaVerified on the record
Guo JiajunCEOfounderDEEP RoboticsHangzhou, ChinaVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2017
Zhu QiuguoFounderfounderDEEP RoboticsHangzhou, ChinaReported role
Alona PammerFounder and CTOfounderDevanthroMunich, GermanyVerified on the record
Rafael HostettlerFounder and CEOfounderDevanthroMunich, GermanyVerified on the record
Jia KuiFounderfounderDexForce TechnologyShenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaVerified on the record
Chongyang WangFounderfounderDexmateSanta Clara, California, USAVerified on the record
Tao ChenFounder and CEOfounderDexmateSanta Clara, California, USAVerified on the record
Yuzhe QinFounder and CTOfounderDexmateSanta Clara, California, USAVerified on the record
Jin GeCEOfounderDexTeleop RoboticsBeijing, ChinaVerified on the record
Mo YilinChief ScientistfounderDexTeleop RoboticsBeijing, ChinaVerified on the record
Liu PeichaoCEOfounderDobotShenzhen, ChinaReported role
Li QingduFounderfounderDroidUpShanghai, ChinaReported role
Ren GuowenFounderfounderEngineAIShenzhen, ChinaVerified on the record
Wang FeiCEOfounderEngineAIShenzhen, ChinaVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2023
Zhao TongyangFounder and CEOfounderEngineAIShenzhen, ChinaVerified on the record
Will JacksonCEOfounderEngineered ArtsFalmouth, Cornwall, United KingdomVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2004
YT JiaCEOfounderFaraday FutureLos Angeles, CAReported role
Josh MerelCTOfounderFauna RoboticsNew York, USAReported role
Rob CochranCEOfounderFauna RoboticsNew York, USAReported role
Brett AdcockCEOfounderFigure AISunnyvale, California, USAVerified on the record
PathakCEOfounderFoundationSan Francisco, California, USAReported role
Alex GuCEOfounderFourier IntelligenceShanghai, ChinaVerified on the record
Alex RenCEOfounderFourier IntelligenceShanghai, ChinaVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2015
Wang HelongCEOfounderGalaxea AIBeijing, ChinaVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2023
Gao JiyangFounder and CEOfounderGalaxea DynamicsSuzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaVerified on the record
Li TianweiFounderfounderGalaxea DynamicsSuzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaVerified on the record
Xu HuazheFounder and Chief ScientistfounderGalaxea DynamicsSuzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaVerified on the record
Zhao HangFounder and Chief ScientistfounderGalaxea DynamicsSuzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaVerified on the record
He WangCTOfounderGalbotBeijing, ChinaVerified on the record
Aron FrishbergFounder and CEOfounderGatsby RoboticsSan Francisco, California, USAVerified on the record
Alessio Del BueFounderfounderGenerative BionicsGenoa, ItalyVerified on the record
Andrea PagninFounderfounderGenerative BionicsGenoa, ItalyVerified on the record
Daniele PucciFounder and CEOfounderGenerative BionicsGenoa, ItalyVerified on the record
Davide RotaFounderfounderGenerative BionicsGenoa, ItalyVerified on the record
Jeffrey LibshutzFounderfounderGenerative BionicsGenoa, ItalyVerified on the record
Marco MaggialiFounderfounderGenerative BionicsGenoa, ItalyVerified on the record
Huang GuanFounderfounderGigaAIBeijing, ChinaVerified on the record
Ivor JarmanFounderfounderHalcyon RoboticsSan Francisco, California, USAVerified on the record
Oliver StarkFounder and CEOfounderHalcyon RoboticsSan Francisco, California, USAVerified on the record
David HansonCEOfounderHanson RoboticsHong KongVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2013
Guilhem HerailFounderfounderHermes RoboticsSan Francisco, CA, USAVerified on the record
Hiroya MasuokaFounder and CEOfounderHighlanders IncTokyo, JapanVerified on the record
Song Ki-youngCEOfounderHoliday RoboticsSeoul, South KoreaVerified on the record
Artem SokolovFounder and CEOfounderHumanoidLondon, United KingdomVerified on the record
Jeff CardenasCEOfounderHumanoidLondon, United KingdomReported role
Isabella Bai (Bai Huiyuan / 白惠源)Founder and CEOfounderInfiforceHangzhou, ChinaVerified on the record
Balaji ViswanathanFounderfounderInvento RoboticsBangalore, IndiaVerified on the record
Ruan JixiangFounderfounderJack TechnologyTaizhou, Zhejiang, ChinaVerified on the record
Liu YaoCEOfounderKepler RoboticsShanghai, ChinaVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2022
Tang SihuaCEOfounderLeju RoboticsShenzhen, ChinaVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2016
Liu WenjieCEOfounderLimX DynamicsShenzhen, ChinaVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2021
Yu ChaoFounder and CEOfounderLumos RoboticsShenzhen, ChinaVerified on the record
Amnon ShashuaFounderfounderMentee RoboticsHerzliya, IsraelVerified on the record
Lior WolfCEOfounderMentee RoboticsHerzliya, IsraelVerified on the record
Shai Shalev-ShwartzChief ScientistfounderMentee RoboticsHerzliya, IsraelVerified on the record
Alexander StevensFounder and CEOfounderMotionBrussels, BelgiumVerified on the record
David RegerCEOfounderNEURA RoboticsMetzingen, GermanyVerified on the record
Xu ZhigenFounder and CEOfounderNineRay TechnologyHong KongReported role
Wei DingCEOfounderNoble MachinesSunnyvale, California, USAVerified on the record
Jiang ZheyuanFounderfounderNoetix RoboticsBeijing, ChinaReported role
Zhang ShipuCEOfounderNoetix RoboticsBeijing, ChinaReported role
Antonio LiFounderfounderNori RoboticsUSAVerified on the record
Pan YangFounderfounderOne RoboticsShenzhen, ChinaReported role
Richard MouFounderfounderOne RoboticsShenzhen, ChinaReported role
Fabio PugliaFounder and PresidentfounderOversonic RoboticsCarate Brianza, ItalyVerified on the record
Paolo DentiFounder and CEOfounderOversonic RoboticsCarate Brianza, ItalyVerified on the record
Albert SanesCTOfounderPAL RoboticsBarcelona, SpainVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2004
Francesco FerroCEOfounderPAL RoboticsBarcelona, SpainVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2004
Nic RadfordCEOfounderPersona AIHouston, TXReported role
Geordie RoseCEOfounderPNDboticsSeoul, South KoreaReported role
Matthieu LapeyreFounderfounderPollen RoboticsBordeaux, FranceVerified on the record
Pierre RouanetFounder and CTOfounderPollen RoboticsBordeaux, FranceVerified on the record
Oleg KivokurtsevFounderfounderPromobotPhiladelphia, PA, USAVerified on the record
Felix ZhangCEOfounderPudu RoboticsShenzhen, ChinaVerified on the record
Elie MetriFounderfounderQSS AI & RoboticsRiyadh, Saudi ArabiaVerified on the record
Ritesh RagavenderCEOfounderReflex RoboticsReported role
Mark MakFounderfounderRobornHong Kong, ChinaVerified on the record
Chen JianyuFounder and CEOfounderRobot EraBeijing, ChinaVerified on the record
Jianyu ChenFounderfounderRobot EraBeijing, ChinaVerified on the record
David RodriguezFounderfounderRobot.comSan Francisco, USAVerified on the record
Felipe Chavez CortesFounder and CEOfounderRobot.comSan Francisco, USAVerified on the record
Judah LonggrearFounderfounderRobot.comSan Francisco, USAVerified on the record
Olivia NortonCTOfounderSanctuary AIVancouver, BC, CanadaVerified on the record
Li YifanCEOfounderSharpaSingaporeVerified on the record
Sun KaiChief ScientistfounderSharpaSingaporeVerified on the record
Xiang ShaoqingCTOfounderSharpaSingaporeVerified on the record
Bruno MaisonnierFounderfounderSoftBank RoboticsTokyo, JapanVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2005
Yang JianboCEOfounderStardust IntelligenceShenzhen, ChinaVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2023
Cheng ChiFounder and CTOfounderSundayMountain View, CA, USAVerified on the record
Tony Z. ZhaoFounder and CEOfounderSundayMountain View, CA, USAVerified on the record
Chen YilunCEOfounderTARS RoboticsShanghai, ChinaVerified on the record
Alexander KochFounder and CEOfounderTau RoboticsSan Francisco, California, USAVerified on the record
Cornelia WeinzierlFounderfounderTau RoboticsSan Francisco, California, USAVerified on the record
Alon Kosowsky-SachsCTOfounderTutor IntelligenceWatertown, MA, USAReported role
Josh GruensteinCEOfounderTutor IntelligenceWatertown, MA, USAVerified on the record
James ZhouCEOfounderUBTech RoboticsShenzhen, ChinaReported role
Xiong YoujunCTOfounderUBTech RoboticsShenzhen, ChinaVerified on the record
Zhou JianCEOfounderUBTech RoboticsShenzhen, ChinaVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2012
Rémi CadèneFounder and CEOfounderUMAParis, FranceVerified on the record
Wang XingxingCEOfounderUnitree RoboticsHangzhou, ChinaVerified on the record
Xingxing WangCEOfounderUnitree RoboticsHangzhou, ChinaReported role
Russ TedrakeCEOfounderWalden RoboticsCambridge, MA, USAVerified on the record
Matthieu MasselinCEOfounderWandercraftParis, FranceVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2012
Nicolas SimonFounderfounderWandercraftParis, FranceVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2012
Evan WinelandCEOfounderWeave RoboticsSan Francisco, CA, USAReported role
Kaan DogrusozCTOfounderWeave RoboticsSan Francisco, CA, USAReported role
Wang DonglinCEOfounderWestlake RoboticsHangzhou, ChinaReported role
Yeonbaek LeeCEOfounderWIRoboticsSeoul, South KoreaVerified on the record
Yongjae KimCEO and CTOfounderWIRoboticsSeoul, South KoreaVerified on the record
Younbaek LeeCEOfounderWIRoboticsSeoul, South KoreaReported role
Wang Qian (王潜)FounderfounderX Square RobotReported role
Youjun XiongFounderfounderX-HumanoidBeijing, ChinaVerified on the record
Lei JunCEOfounderXiaomiBeijing, ChinaVerified on the recordsince Apr 1, 2010
Tang MuCEOfounderYingzhi XBOTNanjing, ChinaReported role
Masahiro ShimizuCEOfounderZEALSTokyo, JapanVerified on the record
Cheng YiFounderfounderZerith RoboticsHefei, Anhui, ChinaVerified on the record
Min YuhengFounderfounderZerith RoboticsHefei, Anhui, ChinaVerified on the record
Guo RenjieFounder and CEOfounderZerothSuzhou, ChinaReported role
Xiong RongFounderfounderZhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation CenterNingbo, Zhejiang, ChinaVerified on the record
Guo YandongFounder and CEOfounderZhipingfangShenzhen, ChinaVerified on the record
Zhang PengFounderfounderZhipingfangShenzhen, ChinaVerified on the record
Yan WeixinFounder (former)founderAgiBotShanghai, ChinaVerified on the record
Bruno MaisonnierCEO (former)founderAldebaran RoboticsParis, FranceVerified on the record
Jerome MonceauxFounder (former)founderAldebaran RoboticsParis, FranceVerified on the record
Marc RaibertFounder (former)founderBoston DynamicsWaltham, Massachusetts, USAVerified on the record
Gerd HirzingerFounder (former)founderDLR Institute of Robotics and MechatronicsOberpfaffenhofen, GermanyVerified on the record
Lerrel PintoFounder (former)founderFauna RoboticsNew York, USAVerified on the record
Shozo KawasakiFounder (former)founderKawasaki Heavy IndustriesKobe, JapanVerified on the record
Debo HuFounder and CEO (former)founderKepler RoboticsShanghai, ChinaVerified on the record
Wu ChangzhengFounder and CEO (former)founderMagicLabBeijing, ChinaVerified on the record
Bruno MaisonnierFounder (former)founderNAO RobotParis, FranceVerified on the record
Ajay AgrawalFounder (former)founderSanctuary AIVancouver, BC, CanadaVerified on the record
Geordie RoseCEO (former)founderSanctuary AIVancouver, BC, CanadaVerified on the record
Suzanne GildertCTO (former)founderSanctuary AIVancouver, BC, CanadaVerified on the record
JB StraubelCTO (former)founderTeslaAustin, Texas, USAVerified on the record
Martin EberhardCEO (former)founderTeslaAustin, Texas, USAVerified on the record
Scott HassanFounder (former)founderWillow GarageMenlo Park, CAVerified on the record
Yao MaoqingPresidentAgiBotShanghai, ChinaVerified on the record
Peggy JohnsonCEOAgility RoboticsSalem, OR, USAVerified on the record
Pras VelagapudiCTOAgility RoboticsSalem, OR, USAVerified on the record
Colin WebbCEOAvatar RoboticsSan Francisco, California, USAVerified on the record
Amanda McMasterCEOBoston DynamicsWaltham, Massachusetts, USAVerified on the recordsince Feb 27, 2026
Shaodong ZhuCEOChery AutomobileWuhu, Anhui, ChinaVerified on the record
Alin Albu-SchäfferChief ScientistDLR Institute of Robotics and MechatronicsOberpfaffenhofen, GermanyVerified on the record
Sankaet PathakCEOFoundationSan Francisco, California, USAVerified on the record
Xia XianqingCEOGAC GroupGuangzhou, ChinaVerified on the record
Tomohiro UchidaCEOGMO AI & RoboticsTokyo, JapanVerified on the record
Anders SvenssonCEOHexagonStockholm, SwedenVerified on the record
Bernhard SendhoffCEOHonda Research InstituteWako, JapanVerified on the record
James LiCEOHonor RoboticsShenzhen, ChinaReported role
Jarad CannonCTOHumanoidLondon, United KingdomVerified on the record
Morley StoneCEOIHMC RoboticsPensacola, FL, USAVerified on the record
Chen Jiayu (陈嘉宇)Chief ScientistInfiforceHangzhou, ChinaVerified on the record
Wang Yizhou (王益舟)CTOInfiforceHangzhou, ChinaVerified on the record
Lei YangCEOIntBotSeoul, South KoreaVerified on the record
Yasuhiko HashimotoCEOKawasaki Heavy IndustriesKobe, JapanVerified on the recordsince Jun 1, 2021
Yassine TahiCEOKinetix AIShenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaVerified on the record
Cao JunliangCTOLumos RoboticsShenzhen, ChinaVerified on the record
Ding YanCTOLumos RoboticsShenzhen, ChinaVerified on the record
Masahiro ShimizuCEOOmakase RoboticsJapanReported role
Shuichi NagaoCTOOmakase RoboticsJapanReported role
Li ZhichenCEOOne RoboticsShenzhen, ChinaReported role
Andrew KiguelCEORealbotixToronto, CanadaReported role
Eric AbrahamsCTORealbotixToronto, CanadaVerified on the record
Evan BeardCEORobot.comSan Francisco, USAReported role
Byoung Soo KimCEORobotisSeoul, South KoreaReported role
James WellsCEOSanctuary AIVancouver, BC, CanadaVerified on the record
Ding WenchaoChief ScientistTARS RoboticsShanghai, ChinaVerified on the record
Elon MuskCEOTeslaAustin, Texas, USAVerified on the record
Gill PrattCEOToyota Research InstituteLos Altos, CA, USAVerified on the record
Gill PrattCEOToyota Research Institute RoboticsLos Altos, CA, USAVerified on the record
Zhang TaoChief ScientistTsinghua University Intelligent Robotics LabBeijing, ChinaVerified on the record
Pierre SermanetChief ScientistUMAParis, FranceVerified on the record
Simon AlibertCTOUMAParis, FranceVerified on the record
Hung (Jim) LaPresidentVinDynamicsVerified on the record
Ngo Quoc HungCEOVinRoboticsHanoi, VietnamVerified on the record
Nobuo YamatoCEOVstoneOsaka, JapanVerified on the record
Ge YixiaoChief ScientistXPeng RoboticsGuangzhou, ChinaReported role
He XiaopengCEOXPeng RoboticsGuangzhou, ChinaVerified on the record
Renjie GuoCEOZerothSuzhou, ChinaReported role
Tang JinjuCTOZerothSuzhou, ChinaReported role
Eric JangCTO (former)1X TechnologiesPalo Alto, CA, USA (R&D in Oslo, Norway)Reported role
Phuong NguyenCTO (former)1X TechnologiesPalo Alto, CA, USA (R&D in Oslo, Norway)Reported role
Aaron SaundersCTO (former)Boston DynamicsWaltham, Massachusetts, USAVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2021
Robert PlayterCEO (former)Boston DynamicsWaltham, Massachusetts, USAVerified on the recordsince Jan 1, 2020
Jerry PrattCTO (former)Figure AISunnyvale, California, USAVerified on the record
Hu DeboCEO (former)Kepler RoboticsShanghai, ChinaVerified on the record
Steve CousinsCEO (former)Willow GarageMenlo Park, CAVerified on the record

Verified versus reported

Each column is attributed to the record’s own provenance. A verified role edge is confirmed against a primary source; a reported one is held honestly as reported.

Verified on the record

Confirmed against a primary source

A role marked verified is one DEPLOY confirmed against a primary source, such as a securities filing or a company's own investor materials. The green marker means the attribution is backed, not inferred.

Reported

Held as reported, not yet confirmed

A role marked reported is one DEPLOY holds from press or company statements but has not independently verified against a primary source. It is a real attribution, shown honestly as reported rather than dressed up as verified.

Where it stands

The people, read live

This roster is read live from the reviewed people graph across 125 humanoid makers, so it reflects the record at render rather than a frozen list. The company-by-company comparison lives on the humanoid leaderboard, which this page links.

How we know this

This roster is read live from DEPLOY's reviewed people graph: reviewed Person records linked to the humanoid makers by dated role edges, each carrying the record's own provenance tier. A verified role edge was confirmed against a primary source; a reported edge was not. Here are the sources behind them.

Business InsiderLinkedInSparkLabs Taiwan1X Technologies (official)1X TechnologiesWikipediaChosun BizChosunBizWOWTALEChosun BizAjuPressWikipediaKrASIASouth China Morning PostAgility Robotics (official)Carnegie Mellon Robotics InstituteAheadFormEast Ventures36KrGasgooApptronik (official)Apptronik (official)ATOM Humanoid — official team page: Shunsuke AokiATOM raises ¥3B seed round to build humanoid robots in Japan (CEO Shunsuke Aoki)Japan's ATOM raises nearly $19M in seed round funding for humanoid robotics (Jun 1, 2026)IEEE SpectrumBooster Robotics (official)The Wire ChinaCo-Founder & Vice ChairmanWikipediaForbesWang Chuanfu — Chinese chemist, billionaire, founder/chairman/CEO of BYD Company (b. 1966)Wang Chuanfu — Chairman and CEO of BYD Company Limited (official corporate bio)Wang Chuanfu — Forbes profile: chairman and CEO of BYD, citizen of ChinaKrASIA36KrFox BusinessClone RoboticsTechCrunchLinkedInWikipediaNatureCyborg Robotics (official)DEEP RoboticsWikipediaDevanthroGerman-French Academy for the Industry of the FutureForbes AustriaSt. Gallen SymposiumETH Zurich AmbassadorsWikipediaThe Wire ChinaYesPressYesPressPersonalTSV CapitalRobotHub36KrGasgoo AutoNewsYilin Mo (official)Google ScholarWikipediaNew AtlasHumanoids DailyTechCrunchThe Wire ChinaWikipediaInnotech TodayEngineered ArtsTechCrunchBusinessWireAssociated PressFigure AI (official)CrunchbaseThe Next WebWikipediaCompassListFourier IntelligenceGalaxea AIForbesPeking University (official)The Wire ChinaGatsbyPulse 2.0subagent researchIstituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Talk iit)LinkedInIIT OpenTalkHumanoid Robotics TechnologySouth China Morning PostSEC EDGARWikipediaBusinessABCLinkedInNasweeperF6SHighlandersRealGaijin (Substack)venturesquare.netSilicon CanalsHumanoid共同通信PRワイヤーWikipediaUMBC Computer ScienceLinkedInJack Technology (official)CKGSB KnowledgeApparel ResourcesTechCrunchLeju RoboticsLimX DynamicsPandailyWikipediaMentee Robotics (official)The Robot ReportTech.euNeura Robotics (official)CrunchbaseOrigin of BotsThe Robot Report36KrIt Can Think! (Substack)Y CombinatorLinkedInarXiv36Krhomey.appOversonic RoboticsPAL RoboticsTechCrunchPersona AISanctuary AI (official)TechCrunchmaxon groupLinkedInPromobot (official)Realnoe VremyaHKUST (official)CrunchbaseQSS AI (official)TechCrunchRobornMark Mak - HKUST AlumniHong Kong Iron Man Mark Mak (MBA 2011)The Wire ChinaGoogle ScholarKrASIATracxnCraftPR NewswireBusiness InsiderRestaurant DivePulse 2.0LinkedInSanctuary AI (official)WikipediaHesai Group Investor RelationsHesai TechnologyTechCrunchThe Robot ReportAstribotSunday RoboticsGlobeNewswirePulse 2.0TARS Robotics Company ProfileTARS raises record US$120 millionalexkoch.aiLinkedInMuggleheadLinkedInLinkedInSuperbCrewSiliconANGLEYahoo FinanceThe Wire ChinaUBTECH Robotics (official)UBTechHKExHKEX (UBTech prospectus)uma.botUnitree Robotics (official)The Robot Reportnextview.vcGlobeNewswireY CombinatorWestlake UniversityWowtaleWIRoboticsPandailyThe Robot ReportCrunchbaseBHRIC (official)Xiaomi36krNewscomForbesYesPressThe Japan TimesGasgooForbesBaidu BaikeInternational Federation of RoboticsZhejiang University36KrThe Wire ChinaBaidu BaikeComputer History MuseumWikipedia (Marc Raibert)WikipediaTechCrunchWikipediaPR NewswireGasgoo AutoNewsChina SCIOGasgoo Auto NewsCreative Destruction LabTracxnTesla (SEC / Investor Relations)WikipediaTechCrunchBaidu BaikeAgility Robotics (official)TechCrunchPR NewswireBusiness InsiderLinkedInMIT Sloan CFO SummitWikipedia2024 Chery International Business ConferenceDLR Institute of Robotics and MechatronicsInteresting EngineeringGAC Group (official)MarketScreenerInderes (Hexagon press release)Honda Research Institute (official)SCMPRobotics 24/7IHMC (official)GasgooInteresting EngineeringWikipediaKawasaki Heavy IndustriesKinetix AI (official)Shuichi Nagao — CTO Omakase RoboticsIEEE SpectrumLumaRobotics 24/7The StandardIFA BerlinOTC MarketsPR NewswireInstagramFormer Huawei and Baidu Executives Team UpTesla (SEC / Investor Relations)ITIFSCMPFrench Tech JournalThe Next WebLinkedInVietnam Investment Review (Media OutReach Newswire release, 10 Feb 2026)VinRoboticsInfineon TechnologiesVstone (official)36KrXPeng (official)Humanoids DailySECAju PressZerothEric Jang (personal)1x.techContrary ResearchGoogle DeepMind Hires Former CTO of Boston DynamicsTechCrunchThe Robot ReportTechCrunch36KrIEEE SpectrumSaviokeTechCrunch

Every name on this page comes from the registry at render, not from memory, which is why the roster cannot drift from the record. Where DEPLOY has verified a role against a primary source it is marked verified; where it holds a role only as reported it says so. DEPLOY does not invent people or roles; it reads them and links each profile.

Common questions

Who founded 1X Technologies?
1X Technologies was founded by Bernt Bornich, who leads the company as its chief executive. DEPLOY reads his name and role live from its reviewed people graph rather than asserting it from memory, so the profile you see reflects the current record. 1X builds the NEO home humanoid, and Bornich’s role is attributed on the record with its own provenance marker.
Who is the founder of Figure AI?
Figure AI was founded by Brett Adcock, a serial entrepreneur who previously co-founded the electric aircraft company Archer Aviation and the talent marketplace Vettery. DEPLOY holds his founder and CEO role in its people graph and reads it live, so the attribution reflects the reviewed record. Figure builds the Figure humanoid line and its Helix control software.
Who are the main humanoid robot companies and their leaders?
The recurring makers are Figure, led by Brett Adcock, 1X, led by Bernt Bornich, Apptronik, co-founded by Jeff Cardenas, plus Agility Robotics, Boston Dynamics, Unitree, Tesla, and others. Each has a founder or executive team, and DEPLOY names the ones it holds reviewed records for. This page reads them from the people graph live, and the company-by-company comparison of funding, deployments, and patents lives on the humanoid leaderboard.
How does DEPLOY know who founded these companies?
DEPLOY holds a people graph: reviewed Person records linked to companies by dated role edges, each carrying a provenance tier. A role verified against a primary source such as a securities filing or company investor materials is marked verified; a role held only as reported is marked reported. This page reads those edges live and shows each person's provenance, so you can tell a confirmed attribution from a reported one.
Are the founders still running their humanoid companies?
In most cases the original founders are still leading, and this page marks a role as current or former from the record. Where a founder has stepped back or a company has been acquired, the role edge reflects that. Because the roster is read live from the people graph, it changes as the record changes, rather than freezing a leadership lineup that may have moved on.

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