Over the last few years, countless people in the field of robotics have been asked “what’s next after warehouse/reception?” I asked. The already popular category has heated up as online shopping went from convenience to necessity during the pandemic.
Amazon has led the space with on-premises systems for over a decade, while companies like Locus, 6 River Systems, and Fetch have formed partnerships with top retailers. But “what next?” Asking ‘does not in any way mean that the time for satisfaction in the limelight is over. Despite some investment slowdowns due to the economy, this is a huge and growing category.
Headquartered in the suburb of Roswell, Georgia, about 20 miles north of Atlanta, GreyOrange was founded in 2011, a year before Amazon’s Kiva deal shook up the industry. Over the past decade, the company has acquired a number of high-profile clients, including Walmart Canada, Nike and Swedish fast fashion retailer H&M.
The company hasn’t had much trouble fundraising either. GreyOrange announced a $140 million Series C in 2018 and today announced that it has raised a $135 million Series D in growth financing. Anthelion Capital, which led the round, also brings back prominent investments from Mithril, 3State Ventures and Blume Ventures.
It has been working for years to create a full-service solution for warehouse, fulfillment and 3PL needs. This includes Kiva-like AMRs (autonomous mobile robots), forklifts and bin systems for collection, as well as its own first-party (“hardware agnostic”) fleet management software.