Munich-based robotic startup Filics has closed €13.5 million to expand product development and the robotics platform, as well as to internationalise the business model.
Filics is a technology company that focuses on flat transport robots. It develops robots that can safely move weights of up to 1.2 tons, encompassing all standard weights, in intralogistics. The robots also operate autonomously and can flexibly drive under a wide variety of load carriers.
The “Filics Unit” is the first product and consists of two omnidirectional robots that have been specially developed for handling Euro pallets. The system moves autonomously through the warehouse, travelling under pallets and transporting them, thereby minimising the space required for manoeuvring.
Gregor Kolls, co-founder and CEO of Filics, said:
With the new financing round, we are taking the next big step in our growth strategy. Thanks to the strong support, we can further optimise and scale the technology. The trust of our investors is both a tailwind and an obligation.
The technology enables space savings of up to 30 per cent and addresses key challenges in the logistics sector, including space constraints, capacity bottlenecks, and a shortage of skilled workers. The Filics Unit is the first solution in the world that can completely drive under and through pallets and load, carriers standing on the floor, allowing it to transport load carriers behind them.
The new investors include Sandwater, Alven, F-Log Ventures, and the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund, alongside Bayern Kapital, business angels Andrei Danescu (founder and CEO of Dexory) and Helmut Schmid (CCO of Filics and former CEO of Agilox), and with continued participation from Capnamic and 10x Founders.
According to Franziska Bossart, Head of the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund, the company is continuously evolving and exploring innovative ways to use space, personnel, and energy more efficiently, which ultimately benefits both employees and customers. She shared:
We are excited about Filics’ innovative approach to advancing the logistics industry by exploring significant space savings with more flexible and scalable automation.
Morten E. Iversen, partner at Sandwater, said that Filics technology offers not only substantial space efficiency but also a flexible, scalable path to the automation of warehouses:
For Sandwater, it represents a transformative solution that can redefine warehouse operations—reducing space needs, boosting productivity, and achieving a smaller footprint through a smart hardware/software combination. "We have been truly impressed by the team.
The Filics Unit will be further developed for use in floor block warehouses by the end of 2025, enabling up to 66 per cent space savings to be achieved. In the medium term, the company plans to develop the technology further to enable fully autonomous truck loading in under five minutes.
Helmut Schmid, CCO at Filics, shared:
Our goal is to redefine pallet handling and transform the logistics industry with comprehensive automation solutions. The strong demand for our technology confirms that we have hit the nerve of the times with our solution.
Lead image: The Filics’ management team: Julius Lutzer (CPO), Markus Weber (CTO), Gregor Kolls (CEO), Seyed Behbahani (Chief of Staff), Helmut Schmid (CCO) | Photo: Filics
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