Listen to this article

Fulfil Solutions, a robotics company that offers an automated grocery fulfillment system, announced that it is emerging from stealth mode with $60 million in Series B financing. 

Fulfil creates robots that can pick and pack grocery items across all product categories and temperature states. The company opened its first fully automated micro-fulfillment warehouse a few months ago in Mountain View, California in the San Francisco Bay area. 

“To address the many challenges facing online grocery, retailers must adopt efficient automation that substantially reduces costs and provides the accuracy, quality and convenience customers expect,” Fulfil CEO and President Mir Aamir said. “That’s why our fully automated solution represents such a revolutionary step forward. Not only does it make online grocery retailing profitable while meeting customer expectations, but it also prioritizes social and environmental responsibility by cutting carbon emissions, eliminating food waste and enabling healthier food to reach more households at lower cost.”

This micro-fulfillment warehouse was created in partnership with The Save Mart Companies, and it powers a same-day grocery delivery and pick-up service called Lucky Now. When Lucky Now receives an order, Fulfill’s robots start picking up groceries and packing them within minutes. When the order is fulfilled, the robots bring the finished orders to a waiting area where drivers can collect them. 

“The Save Mart Companies is thrilled to embrace innovative technologies that help deliver on-demand groceries to our customers on their own terms,” Shane Sampson, Executive Chairman of the Board at The Save Mart Companies, said. “With Lucky Now, powered by Fulfil’s robotic automation, we are excited to offer the best value on local and fresh products that our shoppers have come to know and trust.”

Fulfil’s system uses advanced AI, machine learning, and optical and sensor technologies to enable grocery picking. The company’s mobile robots split and sequence grocery items to prevent damage and minimize pack time, while dispense stations drop item into the mobile robot’s tops and redistribute inventory to balance loads. During all of this, a database tracks every item’s location, origin and expiration to ensure order accuracy. 

Fulfil’s funding round was led by Eclipse, and included participation from Khosla Ventures and DCVC.