Why Walden Catalyst Led Ati Motors’ $20 Million Series B

We are witnessing the dawn of a golden age in robotics, where technological advancement and market demands are converging to create unprecedented opportunities. Recent breakthroughs in AI-powered technologies, particularly in computer vision and route planning, have made autonomous systems not just technically feasible, but economically viable, safe around humans, and remarkably reliable.

While there’s considerable buzz around general-purpose humanoid robots and the application of generative AI to robotics, we believe the immediate future lies in purpose-built solutions that address specific industrial challenges. The manufacturing sector, facing persistent labor shortages with over 600,000 unfilled positions in the U.S. alone, is particularly ripe for these kinds of purpose-built, ready-now solutions.

In fact, purpose-built AI-powered robotics systems that integrate deeply with existing ERP systems have already demonstrated their ability to revolutionize manufacturing efficiency – enabling just-in-time material delivery, reducing inventory costs, and accelerating production cycles.

Enter Ati

This is precisely why we’re excited about Ati and why we are thrilled to announce our lead investment in Ati’s $20 million Series B funding round. This investment will fuel the global expansion of Ati’s AI-powered robotics workforce platform, which is already making a substantial impact on industrial automation.

Specializing in autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), Ati has successfully deployed hundreds of its Sherpa robots across 40 industry-leading manufacturers, including Forvia and Hyundai. Their innovation at the intersection of robotics, artificial intelligence, and manufacturing is reshaping how the industrial sector approaches automation—making it more efficient, accessible, and transformative. This funding will accelerate Ati’s ability to leverage its extensive real-world dataset, developing next-generation AI models and advancing their industrial autonomy platform.

Building on a Strong Foundation

Ati’s proprietary tech stack—which encompasses software, hardware, and AI for localization, perception, and navigation—was developed entirely in-house and forms the cornerstone of their game-changing solutions. The ability of these robots to operate reliably in extreme conditions, such as 50°C summers, heavy dust, and monsoons, as well as achieving over 95% uptime in U.S. industrial installations, underscores their robustness and reliability.

Going forward, we see an enormous greenfield opportunity in manufacturing automation. Traditional material movement across factory floors, currently dominated by manually operated vehicles and first-generation Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), is ripe for disruption. Unlike these legacy solutions, Ati’s AMRs are truly autonomous and adaptive, offering a scalable solution for the predictable, high-precision material movement required in modern manufacturing.

The market drivers for Ati’s AMRs are compelling, led by a growing shortage of skilled labor within industrial settings, which has created an urgent need for automation solutions. This labor challenge is compounded by the increasing demand for more efficient, data-driven workflows that integrate seamlessly with ERP systems, allowing companies to optimize their operations. Additionally, the industry-wide push toward Industry 4.0 and “lights-out” factory initiatives has accelerated the adoption of autonomous solutions, as manufacturers seek to create fully automated production environments.

Global Leadership

Ati is currently seeing strong demand for their autonomous robots both in the U.S. and internationally. The company recently established operations in Mexico and has strengthened their presence across the US, India and Southeast Asia. Ati is also expanding their North America headquarters in Detroit, MI.

This, coupled with enthusiastic customer feedback and the ability to attract world-class talent and leading investors—including True Ventures and NGP Capital—speaks volumes about Ati’s potential for global growth.

The Future of Industrial Automation

The promise of mobile robots in manufacturing is immense. At Walden Catalyst, we believe Ati represents the future of industrial automation and is poised to lead the next wave of innovation. Their unique blend of advanced AI, robotics expertise, and deep understanding of manufacturing environments truly sets them apart.

We’re proud to partner with Ati on this journey and look forward to supporting their continued growth and success in the global market.

Shankar Chandran