NodeX was Attabotics’ ergonomic choosing station for its automated storage and retrieval system. Supply: Attabotics
Attabotics Inc. final week reportedly laid off most of its roughly 200 workers and filed a discover of intention for chapter safety. The Calgary, Alberta-based firm had developed {hardware} and software program for automated storage and retrieval methods, or ASRS.
Impressed by ants, Attabotics had claimed that its ASRS may improve area utilization and warehouse effectivity. Based in 2016, the firm had raised a complete of greater than $194 million (U.S.), in accordance with Crunchbase.
It had raised $25 million in Sequence B funding in 2019, $50 million in Sequence C funding in 2020, and $71.7 million extra in Sequence C funding in 2022 however was unable to finish a Sequence D spherical.
In March 2025, Attabotics introduced its FulfillAI software program, which used synthetic intelligence to orchestrate achievement, notably for smaller operations. It claimed that its 3D system was extra environment friendly than competing ASRS.
“We’re educating the market that it may be used for greater than bin retrieval — there’s induction, sequencing, and sorting,” Scott Gravelle, founder and CEO of Attabotics, instructed The Robotic Report at ProMat 2025. “Over the previous two years, we realized that prospects don’t have a single price of strains per hour; they wanted to get stuff finished by transport time.”
“It was an information science drawback, and we diminished the variety of robots in our system by 60%,” he stated on the time. “As a substitute of constructing to the machine, our AI has improved uptime and elevated achievement to 1,200 models per hour.”
Automated storage supplier had money stream issues
Whereas Attabotics’ annual income was over $50 million final yr, it additionally had a internet loss of almost $50 million CAD ($36 million U.S.) in 2024. The corporate laid off a part of its employees then and blamed the loss on rates of interest, slower client spending, and delayed tasks.
For example, its prospects included Nordstrom Inc., which shut down in 2023. Alternatively, U.Ok.-based grocery chain Tesco had lately opted for Attabotics’ methods.
In April 2025, Attabotics requested Export Growth Canada (EDC), its greatest creditor, for a $20 million bridge mortgage. The firm anticipated to generate $37 million in income in 2025 and $100 million in 2026, Gravelle instructed provide chain skilled Brittain Ladd.
Nevertheless, EDC stated final month that the Ontario Trainer’s Fund wouldn’t make investments additional within the firm. Many of the remaining workers obtained discover of termination on June 29, wrote the Calgary Herald.
Attabotics was concerned in lawsuits
On social media, some former staffers and trade observers famous that Attabotics had didn’t diversify its buyer base and spent an excessive amount of cash on its headquarters, in addition to that its administration was not open to vary.
The firm was additionally concerned in distinguished authorized disputes. In 2021, Attabotics filed a patent-infringement declare towards Urbx, which was settled in 2023.
Additionally in 2023, Attabotics sued buyer Canadian Tire over a warehouse fireplace at a distribution heart in Brampton, Ontario. It price Canadian Tire $67.7 million in first-quarter revenue, plus $20 million extra in provide chain disruptions, stated BetaKit. The businesses settled in 2024.
Attabotics’ chapter filings stated it has $32 million in belongings, together with 160 patents, and liabilities of $73.5 million. EDC has not but shared its plans for these belongings.
The Robotic Report has reached out to Gravelle for additional remark.
