Vecna Robotics closes $100 million series C, appoints new COO

GEODIS ‘counting on’ funding to speed up case picking robot development

Vecna Robotics


Vecna Robotics will use $40 million in new funding to develop robots for case picking, packaging, and cross-dock applications.
Newly-appointed Vecna Robotics COO Michael Helmbrecht will oversee the development of initiatives, including a case-picking robot with GEODIS, using $40 million in new funding.

Flexible material handling automation systems provider Vecna Robotics recently announced the close of its Series C round at $100 million, with $40 million in new funding including equity and debt, which nearly doubles the company valuation from the previous round. 

Tiger Global Management, Proficio Capital Partners, and IMPULSE participated in the investment round.

Vecna said the cash infusion will be used to fund new workflow-specific innovations that can enable it to deliver rapid ROI to cost-conscious warehouse operators served by the $165 billion pallet-moving autonomy market. 

“Finalizing this capital raise, with the help of our existing investors and a new financing partner is huge validation that we are on the right track,” said Craig Malloy, Vecna Robotics CEO. “With fresh capital secured, we have the balance sheet to help us drive growth with our existing customers through improved product performance and the release of new automation technology.”

GEODIS, Vecna developing new case-picking robot

Over the past year, Vecna has combined cloud software updates and investments in its Pivotal Command Center remote monitoring and teleoperation service. 

The company said its service has helped customers including GEODIS, FedEx, DHL, Caterpillar, Shape, and others realize upwards of 70% performance improvements in ground-to-ground and low-lift warehouse workflows like case picking, packaging, and cross-docking. 

In addition to these improvements, Vecna said the cash infusion will support the launch of next-generation platforms that will help the company provide more deployment flexibility and reach into new workflows that are in high demand, while being able to continue delivering operator cost savings from day one.

One ongoing initiative involves developing a new robot case picking robot for GEODIS that has the potential to double performance for the transportation, logistics, and supply chain provider. “We are counting on this recent cash infusion at the company to speed up development and launch of a complete, market-ready offering that can be deployed right away,” said Andy Johnston, GEODIS senior director of innovation.

Helmbrecht to oversee new initiatives as COO

To support its expansion, the company also announced the appointment of Michael Helmbrecht as Chief Operating Officer.

Vecna said Helmbrecht will be instrumental in new initiatives, overseeing operations, manufacturing, IT, product, and customer success to ensure the company continues to meet its customer-defined performance guarantees. 

A former Dell, Lifesize, and RingCentral executive, Helmbrecht brings nearly 20 years of operations, product, and partnership experience to Vecna Robotics. He joins the company after a year of scale, including triple-digit revenue growth, over 100% increase in deployments, and the announcement of Vecna Robotics’ performance guarantee.


Email Sign Up

Get news, papers, media and research delivered
Stay up-to-date with news and resources you need to do your job. Research industry trends, compare companies and get market intelligence every week with Robotics 24/7. Subscribe to our robotics user email newsletter and we'll keep you informed and up-to-date.

Vecna Robotics

Vecna Robotics will use $40 million in new funding to develop robots for case picking, packaging, and cross-dock applications.


Robot Technologies