NodeX was Attabotics’ ergonomic picking station for its automated storage and retrieval system. Source: Attabotics
Attabotics Inc. last week reportedly laid off most of its approximately 200 employees and filed a notice of intention for bankruptcy protection. The Calgary, Alberta-based company had developed hardware and software for automated storage and retrieval systems, or ASRS.
Inspired by ants, Attabotics had claimed that its ASRS could increase space utilization and warehouse efficiency. Founded in 2016, the company had raised a total of more than $194 million (U.S.), according to Crunchbase.
It had raised $25 million in Series B funding in 2019, $50 million in Series C funding in 2020, and $71.7 million more in Series C funding in 2022 but was unable to complete a Series D round.
In March 2025, Attabotics announced its FulfillAI software, which used artificial intelligence to orchestrate fulfillment, particularly for smaller operations. It claimed that its 3D system was more efficient than competing ASRS.
“We’re educating the market that it can be used for more than bin retrieval — there’s induction, sequencing, and sorting,” Scott Gravelle, founder and CEO of Attabotics, told The Robot Report at ProMat 2025. “Over the past two years, we realized that customers don’t have a single rate of lines per hour; they needed to get stuff done by shipping time.”
“It was a data science problem, and we reduced the number of robots in our system by 60%,” he said at the time. “Instead of building to the machine, our AI has improved uptime and increased fulfillment to 1,200 units per hour.”
Automated storage provider had cash flow problems
While Attabotics’ annual revenue was over $50 million last year, it also had a net loss of nearly $50 million CAD ($36 million U.S.) in 2024. The company laid off part of its staff then and blamed the loss on interest rates, slower consumer spending, and delayed projects.
For instance, its customers included Nordstrom Inc., which shut down in 2023. On the other hand, U.K.-based grocery chain Tesco had recently opted for Attabotics’ systems.
In April 2025, Attabotics asked Export Development Canada (EDC), its biggest creditor, for a $20 million bridge loan. The company expected to generate $37 million in revenue in 2025 and $100 million in 2026, Gravelle told supply chain expert Brittain Ladd.
However, EDC said last month that the Ontario Teacher’s Fund would not invest further in the company. Most of the remaining employees received notice of termination on June 29, wrote the Calgary Herald.
Attabotics was involved in lawsuits
On social media, some former staffers and industry observers noted that Attabotics had failed to diversify its customer base and spent too much money on its headquarters, as well as that its management was not open to change.
The company was also involved in prominent legal disputes. In 2021, Attabotics filed a patent-infringement claim against Urbx, which was settled in 2023.
Also in 2023, Attabotics sued customer Canadian Tire over a warehouse fire at a distribution center in Brampton, Ontario. It cost Canadian Tire $67.7 million in first-quarter income, plus $20 million more in supply chain disruptions, said BetaKit. The companies settled in 2024.
Attabotics’ bankruptcy filings said it has $32 million in assets, including 160 patents, and liabilities of $73.5 million. EDC has not yet shared its plans for those assets.
The Robot Report has reached out to Gravelle for further comment.
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