# Ep 4- The Hardware Story of Ati Motors | Autonomous Robots for Material movement in Factories

- Show: [The Hardware Story](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-story)
- Published: 2025-06-02
- Length: 1h 41m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-story/2025-06-02-ep-4-the-hardware-story-of-ati-motors-autonomous-robots-for-material-movement-in
- Listen: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thehardwarestory/episodes/Ep-4--The-Hardware-Story-of-Ati-Motors--Autonomous-Robots-for-Material-movement-in-Factories-e33lgsl

## Summary

Saurabh Chandra, Co-Founder and CEO of Ati Motors, explains how he transitioned from a software product management background to building autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for factory material movement. He details the company's journey from a $1M seed funded by his own capital to raising $37M+, highlighting the decision to use expensive 3D LiDAR early on and the pivot from a bulky prototype to a compact, hub-motor design after initial customer feedback. Chandra discusses the challenges of B2B sales with Fortune 500 clients, the strategic advantage of Bangalore's manufacturing ecosystem, and the importance of maintaining a standardized product to avoid costly customizations.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-story/2025-06-02-ep-4-the-hardware-story-of-ati-motors-autonomous-robots-for-material-movement-in#t=0) Introduction and Founder Background
- [5:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-story/2025-06-02-ep-4-the-hardware-story-of-ati-motors-autonomous-robots-for-material-movement-in#t=352) Origin Story and Initial Funding
- [12:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-story/2025-06-02-ep-4-the-hardware-story-of-ati-motors-autonomous-robots-for-material-movement-in#t=726) Product Design and Prototyping Challenges
- [34:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-story/2025-06-02-ep-4-the-hardware-story-of-ati-motors-autonomous-robots-for-material-movement-in#t=2063) Manufacturing Ecosystem and Location Strategy
- [1:05:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-story/2025-06-02-ep-4-the-hardware-story-of-ati-motors-autonomous-robots-for-material-movement-in#t=3957) Fundraising Journey and Investor Relations
- [1:11:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-story/2025-06-02-ep-4-the-hardware-story-of-ati-motors-autonomous-robots-for-material-movement-in#t=4263) B2B Sales, RAS Model, and Market Expansion
- [1:29:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-story/2025-06-02-ep-4-the-hardware-story-of-ati-motors-autonomous-robots-for-material-movement-in#t=5371) Quality Control, Supply Chain, and Scaling
- [1:38:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-story/2025-06-02-ep-4-the-hardware-story-of-ati-motors-autonomous-robots-for-material-movement-in#t=5938) Future Outlook and Industry Commentary

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Quality & yield](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/quality-and-yield)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Ati Motors (company)
- True Ventures (company)
- Village Global (company)
- Xfinity (company)
- MFV (company)
- Tesla (company)
- Waymo (company)
- Bosch (company)
- Samsung (company)
- TVS (company)
- Piaggio Ape (product)
- 3D LiDAR (chip)
- 2D LiDAR (chip)
- Hub Motor (chip)
- Victoria Hospital (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [The Road Ahead for Robotics: Insights from Motional's Major and Foundation's Pathak](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2025-06-20-the-road-ahead-for-robotics-insights-from-motionals-major-and-foundations-pathak) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [The startup journey, from prototype to production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2025-08-22-the-startup-journey-from-prototype-to-production) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [Waypoint Robotics’ Jason Walker on mobile robots; Thomas Visti’s next chapter](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-08-26-waypoint-robotics-jason-walker-on-mobile-robots-thomas-vistis-next-chapter) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [112: Designing & Commercializing Robotics Inventions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-02-02-112-designing-commercializing-robotics-inventions) (Product Startup)
- [OTTO Motors future in automotive; MARS Perseverance anniversary](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2022-02-17-otto-motors-future-in-automotive-mars-perseverance-anniversary) (The Robot Report Podcast)

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