Insider Brief
- Calgary-based robotics startup Attabotics Inc. has filed for bankruptcy protection, according to the Calgary Herald, signaling a major collapse for one of Canada’s most high-profile automation firms.
- Founded in 2016, Attabotics developed a robotic storage and retrieval system intended to streamline warehouse operations through vertical design, and had grown to employ over 300 people at its peak.
- Despite raising over US$165 million from 2019 to 2022—including federal funds and a $4.5 million grant from the City of Calgary’s Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund—the company issued a notice stating most employee contracts would terminate as of June 30, 2025.
The Calgary Herald is reporting that Attabotics Inc., a Calgary-based robotics company has filed for bankruptcy protection, marking a sharp fall for a firm that attracted hundreds of millions in funding and government support.
Founded in 2016, Attabotics specialized in automated storage and retrieval systems, using robots to manage warehouse inventory more efficiently. Its system relied on vertical storage towers and robotic shuttles to reduce the physical footprint of warehouses—an innovation aimed at retailers and logistics firms seeking faster fulfillment in smaller spaces.
The company had grown to more than 300 employees at its peak, including roughly 250 based in Calgary, according to the Calgary Herald. As of June 30, 2025, most employees are expected to lose their jobs, based on a printed notice taped to the company’s Calgary manufacturing facility. A Postmedia photographer reported seeing employees leaving the facility with personal belongings, underscoring the immediacy of the shutdown.
CEO Scott Gravelle’s LinkedIn page has been updated to describe him as a “recovering visionary” and “taking a long deserved break” although he remained listed as Attabotics’ chief executive.
Attabotics’ collapse follows years of high-profile fundraising and public support. The company raised an estimated US$165 million between 2019 and 2022, including a US$71.7-million Series C-1 round. Its backers included both private investors and government sources, the Calgary Herald pointed out.
In 2020, Attabotics received $34 million through the federal government’s Strategic Innovation Fund, which supports technology projects expected to drive growth in the Canadian economy. Two years earlier, it was awarded $4.5 million through the City of Calgary’s Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund, a municipal program managed by Calgary Economic Development.
