Slip Robotics Raises $28M for Truck Loading Automation

Revolutionizing Logistics with Autonomous Platforms

Observing activity at a typical loading dock reveals a constant flow of forklifts, diligently loading and unloading goods from truck trailers. This essential logistical process can often consume as much as an hour per trailer, resulting in significant downtime for truck drivers.

The team at Slip Robotics, headquartered in Atlanta, asserts they have engineered a robotic solution capable of reducing this timeframe to a mere five minutes. Their core concept draws inspiration directly from the warehouse floor itself.

Introducing SlipBots: The Robotic Floor

Founded in 2020 by Chris Smith, Dennis Siedlak, and John Jakomin, Slip Robotics has pioneered a robot-as-a-service model. This system integrates advanced automation software with expansive, floor-like robotic platforms.

SlipBots, as they are known, are designed to accommodate up to 10 pallets and manage payloads reaching 12,000 pounds. The company highlights their ability to traverse uneven surfaces and efficiently navigate routes between the warehouse floor and the interior of a truck trailer. A single truck trailer can transport three SlipBots, representing approximately 36,000 pounds of cargo capacity.

Upon arrival at the designated destination, these robotic platforms autonomously disembark from the trailer.

From Automotive Expertise to Robotics Innovation

The genesis of SlipBots stems, in part, from the collective professional background of Smith, including experiences at Cummins, Tesla, and Volley Automation – a robotics startup specializing in automated parking solutions.

His tenure at Tesla, where he spearheaded factory simulation and analytics as an early engineer at the Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada, proved particularly formative. This experience sparked a pivotal question: “What if the floor itself could move?”

Traditionally, freight is placed on the floor for staging before being handled by forklifts. Smith envisioned a system where freight could be positioned on mobile, robotic platforms, enabling the simultaneous movement of entire loads.

Commercial Launch and Rapid Expansion

Following three years of rigorous development and testing, Slip Robotics initiated its commercial service in 2023. Currently, hundreds of SlipBots are deployed across over 25 facilities, ranging in size from 20,000 to over 2 million square feet, as reported by Chief Commercial Officer Jordan Sanders to TechCrunch.

Notable clients include industry leaders such as John Deere, GE Appliances, Valeo, and Nissan.

Customers subscribe to a license fee that encompasses the use of the SlipBots, along with continuous software updates, hardware servicing, maintenance, and repair services.

Sanders explains that a typical customer configuration involves a “three, three, three” arrangement: three bots actively operating at a dock, three in transit, and three positioned at the receiving destination.

Securing Investment for Growth

The innovative bots and the associated business model have successfully attracted significant investment. Recently, Slip Robotics secured $28 million in Series B funding, announced on Tuesday.

DCVC led the funding round, with participation from existing investors including Eve Atlas, Tech Square Ventures, Hyde Park Venture Partners, Overline, and Pathbreaker Ventures. James Hardiman from DCVC has joined the board, alongside the Slip co-founders and Thiago Olson, managing partner of EVE Atlas.

To date, the company has raised a total of $45 million, although its current valuation remains undisclosed.

Future Plans and a Pragmatic Approach

Sanders stated that the newly acquired capital will be allocated to expanding the workforce, increasing the number of deployments, and further refining the product offerings.

He underscored that Slip Robotics’ success is attributable not only to the technology itself but also to the company’s deliberate and measured scaling strategy.

“There’s a widespread expectation of exaggeration and unfulfilled promises from robotics companies regarding their technological maturity and commercial viability,” Sanders communicated in an email to TechCrunch. “While this skepticism is understandable, it’s rooted in the hype and disappointments of the past decade.”

Slip Robotics deliberately avoided premature scaling, prioritizing instead the meticulous development of its robotic platform. This approach has demonstrably yielded positive results. The company has grown from a team of under a dozen to approximately 50 employees.

Significantly, Slip Robotics now boasts 10 commercial customers and hundreds of operational robots in the field.

“A company’s success is best measured by revenue-generating assets in the real world, rather than the number of engineers in the office,” Sanders concluded.