companies

Locus Robotics

Robots-as-a-service warehouse automation company whose AMR fleets pick, cart, and transport goods alongside warehouse staff.

Locus Robotics exists because of a supply shock: Bruce Welty and Mike Johnson ran Quiet Logistics, an early adopter of Kiva Systems' warehouse robots, until Amazon acquired Kiva in 2012 and cut off outside customers. Unable to find a replacement, the pair built one, and Locus Robotics launched as its own company in the Boston area, commonly dated to 2014. It is now headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts. The company sells autonomous mobile robots, including the Origin, Vector, and Max models, orchestrated by its LocusONE software under a robots-as-a-service model that bundles hardware, software, and support into a subscription rather than a capital purchase. Locus robots work in shared aisles alongside human associates rather than requiring robot-only zones, and the company counts DHL Supply Chain, GEODIS, Radial, CEVA Logistics, Ryder, and Kenco among its enterprise 3PL and retail customers. Locus has raised over $400 million, including a $117 million Series F round in November 2022 that valued the company at roughly $2 billion, with investors including G2 Venture Partners and Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Rick Faulk has served as CEO since 2016, with co-founder Bruce Welty remaining involved as chairman.

Founded

2014

Headquarters

Wilmington, United States

Sector

robotics