Zhaopeng Chen

Zhaopeng Chen is the founder and CEO of Agile Robots (思灵机器人), a robotics company he established in 2018 . He previously served as a senior researcher and deputy lab director at the German Aerospace Center's Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, and held a professorship in computer science at the University of Hamburg . His doctoral work was completed through a joint program between the German Aerospace Center and a Chinese institution, advised by German National Academy of Sciences member Professor Hirzinger and Chinese Academy of Engineering member Professor Liu Hong .

Linear Capital was Agile Robots' earliest investor, making its bet at the angel round after partners flew to Munich to examine the lab prototype in person—described as the only institution to do so within a month of first contact . Chen has since led the company through product launches including the Agile Core & Diana series in 2022 and the humanoid-oriented Agile ONE in late 2025, with the latter framed as a step toward "physical AI" . A 2025 Linear Capital event featured former Apple executive Rory praising Chen as "interesting and authentic, able to stay calm under pressure and make wise decisions while being good at listening to employees" .