'Sometimes it doesn't work out': Calgary tech community reacts to ATTAbotics insolvency

Amir Said · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 07, 2025 12:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

Long considered a item of Calgary's tech scene, section robotics institution ATTAbotics is present restructuring arsenic it deals with insolvency.

That restructuring includes terminating 192 of its 203 employees, keeping lone 11 arsenic it navigates the roadworthy ahead, according to documents published by insolvency trustee steadfast Richter Inc.

Founded successful 2016 by Scott Gravelle, ATTAbotics had carved a sanction retired for itself not lone successful Calgary but internationally, moving with the likes of Microsoft, Accenture and the United States Department of Defense.

Neither Gravelle nor ATTAbotics responded to requests for remark up of publication. Several terminated employees declined interrogation requests.

The company's financial troubles came arsenic "sad news" to Terry Rock, president and CEO of tech hub Platform Calgary.

"It's ever astonishing erstwhile a institution that has thing truthful chill doesn't marque it for immoderate reason," helium told CBC News.

LISTEN | ATTAbotics, considered a section tech darling, present faces restructuring:

ATTAbotics designed a robotics proviso concatenation absorption strategy successful which robots store and drawback warehoused goods, with the extremity being to boost shipping ratio and streamline warehouse operations.

The conception was a deed with funders: by the extremity of 2022, ATTAbotics had received implicit $200 million, including implicit $97 cardinal successful backing led by Export Development Canada on with the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board successful 2022, $34 cardinal done the national government's Strategic Innovation Fund successful 2020, and $4.5 cardinal from the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund successful 2018. 

Documents published by Richter accidental that ATTAbotics, "as an early-stage exertion company, has ne'er achieved profitable operations," with yearly losses of $49.5 cardinal successful 2024 and $43 cardinal the twelvemonth prior. 

As of March 31 this year, the assets of ATTAbotics are valued astatine $31.6 million, portion its full liabilities are astir $73.8 million, according to the documents.

On July 2, ATTAbotics filed a announcement of volition to marque a proposal under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, which gives the enactment clip to fig retired its restructuring program and travel up with a connection for creditors.

The company's 11 remaining employees are considered indispensable to the company's restructuring, according to the Richter documents. 

A longtime promoter of Calgary's innovation scene, Rock said the city's tech sector growth comes with some wins and losses.

"In the satellite of exertion innovation, these radical are taking large risks," helium said. "They're trying to alteration the satellite with what they're doing, truly breathtaking ideas and technologies, and sometimes it doesn't enactment out."

According to its website, ATTAbotics astatine 1 clip had implicit 300 employees.

Former worker discusses 'challenges' astatine company

Former ATTAbotics task manager Andrew Rockwell, who near successful 2024 aft astir six years, told CBC News that there had been "internal struggles" astatine the company.

"There were ongoing challenges astatine the institution successful benignant of getting retired of that startup presumption and commercializing the merchandise that ATTAbotics was making," helium said. 

"I benignant of felt that the momentum guardant was slowing. We were having a hard clip getting disconnected the ground."

He said helium was "really proud" of his enactment astatine ATTAbotics, adding that helium made definite to support successful interaction with erstwhile colleagues.

"Seeing however things played out, I conjecture I'm gladsome I near erstwhile I did," helium said. "But it inactive is simply a bittersweet happening for me, adjacent arsenic an outsider now, to beryllium seeing what's happened to the company."

Rockwell hopes the employees that were fto spell are capable to continue contributing to the city's tech scene.

"I would emotion to spot each of those fantabulous radical onshore different large jobs present successful Calgary … moving happily present successful the city, supporting a tech manufacture successful the city," helium said.

He besides hopes that the ATTAbotics exertion "can emergence from these ashes," particularly to proceed supporting customers that utilized it.

ATTAbotics has astir 150 granted and pending patent applications worldwide.