Ati Motors, a prominent developer of AI and autonomous robotics, has successfully secured a $20 million Series B investment round led by Walden Catalyst Ventures (WCV) and NGP Capital (NGP), with further contributions from existing investors True Ventures, Exfinity Venture Partners, Athera Venture Partners, and Blume Ventures. This influx of capital arrives shortly after the company reported an impressive tripling of its order book in the fourth quarter of 2024 and the onboarding of nine industry-leading clients.
Based at the forefront of robotics, artificial intelligence, and manufacturing, Ati Motors is poised to transform how automation is incorporated into industrial operations. The company has effectively deployed hundreds of its Sherpa robots across 40 major manufacturers, including 30 percent of Fortune 500 companies such as Forvia and Hyundai, showcasing multiple scaled deployments throughout North America.
The newly acquired capital is earmarked for accelerating the development and deployment of Ati Motors' robotic workforce, which utilises one of the most expansive and diverse factory datasets for enabling autonomous movement. These robots have been successfully integrated into complex and dynamic manufacturing environments globally, delivering remarkable uptime and significantly enhancing productivity for their customers.
The growing appetite for robotic integration within manufacturing is largely driven by an evolving workforce that is increasingly unwilling to engage in dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks. However, the rate of adoption has been restrained due to the limited availability of robots capable of performing at human-level efficiency in real-world scenarios. Ati Motors has made substantial strides in addressing this gap.
Saurabh Chandra, founder and CEO of Ati Motors, expressed the company’s vision stating, “Since our founding, Ati Motors' mission has been to create advanced, reliable products that enhance both productivity and efficiency in industrial settings. This funding will accelerate our ability to leverage our extensive real-world dataset to develop next-generation AI models and further advance our industrial autonomy platform. The rapid growth we’re experiencing validates our approach of focusing on manufacturing as a vertical and conceptualising these robots as purpose-built self-driving vehicles.”
In a statement about the investment, Shankar Chandran, a partner at Walden Catalyst Ventures, remarked, “Ati Motors represents the future of industrial automation. Their unique combination of advanced AI capabilities and robotics, along with a deep understanding of manufacturing environments, positions them perfectly to lead the next wave of industrial automation. The impressive growth they’ve achieved validates their approach and demonstrates the strong market demand for their solutions.”
Furthermore, Upal Basu from NGP Capital expressed confidence in the company's trajectory, saying, “We’re excited to co-lead this investment in Ati Motors. The company’s ability to successfully deploy fully autonomous mobile robots across diverse industrial environments, combined with their rapidly growing customer base, makes them a standout in the industrial automation space. We believe their unique approach to combining Edge AI, LiDAR, and robotics will help address a critical need in the manufacturing sector.”
The funding will be instrumental in accelerating product development, enhancing Ati Motors' market presence in North America and the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, and fortifying its standing as a chief provider of industrial automation solutions at the convergence of AI and robotics. Recently, the company has established operations in Mexico and is bolstering its presence across the United States, India, and Southeast Asia, with plans to expand its North American headquarters located in Detroit, Michigan.
Source: Noah Wire Services