Pickle Robot Closes $50 Million Series B Funding

Pickle Robot Company, a provider of robotic automation systems, has successfully closed a $50 million Series B funding round. Participants in this funding round included Teradyne Robotics Ventures, Toyota Ventures, Ranpak, Third Kind Venture Capital, One Madison Group, Hyperplane, Catapult Ventures, and others.

Pickle Robot specializes in robotic automation systems designed to address labor-intensive processes in logistics, with a primary focus on truck unloading—one of the most physically demanding and highest turnover tasks in logistics operations.

The company’s flagship product, the Pickle Robot Unload System, utilizes Physical AI, an integration of generative AI, machine learning, computer vision, and industrial robotics, to autonomously unload non-palletized goods from trucks and import containers. This system works collaboratively with warehouse staff, enhancing the efficiency and safety of unloading non-palletized goods from trucks and containers. Since entering production in 2023, Pickle’s Unload Systems have processed over 10 million pounds of merchandise.

In Q3 2024, six customers placed orders for more than 30 production robots, slated for deployment in the first half of 2025. These orders encompass pilot program expansions, conversions by existing customers, and new customer adoptions.

Looking ahead, Pickle Robot aims to develop systems capable of handling parcel-type freight to support inbound and outbound processes for logistics providers and distribution centers. The company has set an ambitious goal of automating inbound and outbound processes at one million warehouse doors over the next decade.

Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Pickle Robot was founded in 2018 by CEO AJ Meyer. “Pickle Robot customers are experiencing the value of Physical AI applied to a common logistics process that challenges thousands of operations every day,” said Mr. Meyer. “The new funding and our strategic customer relationships enable Pickle to chart the future of supply chain robotics, rapidly expand our core product capabilities, and grow our business to deliver tremendous customer value now and in the future.”

“Pickle is hitting its strides delivering innovation, development, commercial traction, and customer satisfaction. The company is building groundbreaking technology while executing on essential recurring parts of a successful business like field service and manufacturing management,” said Omar Asali, a Pickle board member and the CEO of Ranpak. “It is a testament to the strong team at Pickle that world-class customers want to work with them and that investors are excited about their trajectory.”

Ranpak (NYSE: PACK) is a provider of packaging products and specializes in paper-based protective packaging systems and materials. Ranpak’s customer base spans e-commerce, manufacturing, and distribution centers, with a particular focus on industries such as electronics, food, and industrial goods. The company is headquartered in Concord Township, Ohio, with operations across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Teradyne Robotics Ventures is the strategic investment arm of Teradyne (NASDAQ: TER), which invests in early-stage companies developing robotics and automation technologies. The firm targets startups with technologies aligned with Teradyne’s mission to advance industrial automation, including collaborative robots, autonomous mobile robots, and other robotics systems for manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain applications. Teradyne, founded in 1960, is headquartered in North Reading, Massachusetts, just north of Boston.