Grabit raises $25 million to develop its robotic manufacturing technology

Grabit, a startup backed by Nike, has raised $25 million to develop its core “Electroadhesion” technology for using robots in mainframe. The startup counts several big names as its investors including Nike, Draper Nexus Ventures, Flex Lab IX, Formation 8, Danhua Capital, Samsung, Brother Industries, ABB, Shanghai Electric, NTT Docomo and the Esquel Group. The startup employs electroadhesion to move different materials with the help of robotic arm.

Electroadhesion, and machine learning, allow Grabit’s Stackit robot to layer textiles on top of each other, including leathers, meshes, and composite fibers, thereby speeding the process of shoe-making or making a pair of jeans in a factory. Its other robots, the Meterit and the Conveyit, handle everything from fragile eggs to much heavier 50 lb. boxes, or even automotive glass, in factories and fulfillment centers. The industrial robotics startup is now generating meaningful revenue and recently locked in two new customers, one in apparel and the other in logistics. It is already a strategic partner of Nike.