UNIT AI raises $12M to scale AI-powered e-commerce fulfillment and returns platform

UNIT AI, a physical AI company making enterprise-grade automation more accessible for retailers and 3PL providers, announced a $12 million funding round.

The company said that it will use the funding to accelerate commercial deployments of its modular, AI-powered platform for end-to-end e-commerce fulfillment and returns across North America.

The round was co-led by Prologis Ventures, Dynamo Ventures, and Ground Up Ventures, with participation from eGateway Capital, Recursive Ventures, Think + Ventures, ZEP Fund and Crosscourt.

UNIT AI looks to expand deployments

UNIT AI said that the financing comes as retailers and 3PLs face mounting pressure to fulfill more frequent e-commerce orders, manage rising return volumes and improve labor productivity.

UNIT AI said that its modular platform helps operators bring enterprise-grade automation into existing fulfillment environments quickly and cost-effectively. The company said that the funding will expand deployment capacity, accelerate product innovation and support continued commercial growth as the company scales across North America.

"After decades of building warehouse automation, we realized the next breakthrough wasn't building bigger systems; it was making automation dramatically more accessible," said Guy Glass, founder of Unit AI. "The world's largest retailers and logistics providers are looking for enterprise-grade automation that can be deployed in a week instead of months. This funding allows us to scale our deployment capacity, accelerate product innovation and meet that growing demand."

UNIT said that its platform can deploy in as little as 1,000 square feet and deliver ROI in under 12 months. In just 22 months, UNIT said that it is already working with retailers and logistics providers, including Barrett, ShipCalm, DaVinci and Carter, as well as global apparel brands. The company said that it is also has a growing pipeline of enterprise brands and 3PLs whose fulfillment networks collectively ship billions of inventory units each year.

“Retailers and 3PLs need automation that solves real operational pain points - improving throughput, labor productivity and returns management without forcing a full facility redesign,” said Todd Lewis, senior vice president, Prologis Ventures. “UNIT is addressing a clear market need with a modular platform that gives operators flexible automation that can scale and adapt to changing customer demands.”

UNIT said that it enables retailers and logistics providers to automate D2C inventory management and returns wherever inventory lives, from traditional distribution centers to regional fulfillment hubs and back-of-store retail operations. The company said that its standardized AI-powered platform combines compact robotics with predictive inventory software to store, retrieve and manage individual items without requiring companies to redesign existing facilities.