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§ Private Profile · Cambridge, MA, USA
Verve Motion is a technology company.
Verve Motion develops the SafeLift™ exosuit, a soft, powered wearable robot designed to prevent workplace injuries, specifically those arising from repetitive lifting tasks. This intelligent system integrates advanced hardware with real-time motion sensing software, providing adaptive, tailored assistance to workers. The technology focuses on alleviating physical strain on the back and hips, thereby enhancing both worker safety and productivity through its integrated approach.
The company emerged as a spin-out from Harvard University's Biodesign Lab at the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, officially beginning operations in 2020. Co-founder and CEO Ignacio Galiana, alongside a team of scientists and engineers, built upon foundational research initially supported by DARPA. Their insight stemmed from developing soft exosuits to mitigate fatigue and injury risks, translating this expertise to create wearable robotics for industrial applications.
Verve Motion’s products serve workers across various sectors including grocery, logistics, retail, and manufacturing. The company’s mission is to power the human workplace by pioneering next-generation wearable technology for industrial workers. Verve Motion aims to cultivate a safer, more efficient future globally for these essential workers, reducing injuries and improving overall well-being.
Verve Motion has raised $35.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Verve Motion has raised $35.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Verve Motion is a technology company developing industrial wearable robotics, specifically the SafeLift™ exosuit, a soft, powered device that reduces lower back strain by up to 40% during lifts for workers in grocery distribution, manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain sectors[1][2][4][5][6]. It solves musculoskeletal injuries from repetitive heavy lifting—workers often handle 50,000 pounds daily—by integrating robotics into comfortable apparel, boosting productivity by 4-8%, cutting injuries by 60-85%, improving job satisfaction over 10%, and delivering up to 250% ROI in six months[2][3][4][6]. Founded in 2020 as a Series B startup with over $40 million raised, including a $20 million round in 2023, Verve serves industrial leaders facing labor shortages and safety challenges, with exosuits lifting over 300 million pounds by mid-2023 and a hybrid workforce of about 50 employees[1][2][4].
Verve Motion spun out of Harvard's Biodesign Lab in March 2020, commercializing over a decade of research by founders Ignacio Galiana, Conor Walsh, Mike Rouleau, and Nathalie Degenhardt—a mix of engineers, scientists, and apparel designers[1][2][3]. The idea emerged from a 2012 DARPA contract for exosuit technology initially aimed at military use, evolving through NIH and NSF grants into industrial applications; by 2015, a fully autonomous system was tested outside labs, and in 2018, workers first used soft exosuits for lifting[2][3]. Amid COVID-19 disruptions like supply chain strains and labor shortages, Verve shipped its first SafeLift products within 30 days of launch in May 2020 while closing seed funding, with Galiana leading early sales to refine the hardware-software stack for customers[1][2].
Verve Motion rides the wearable robotics and human augmentation trend, addressing global labor shortages, aging workforces, and e-commerce-driven demand spikes that exacerbate back injuries in logistics and manufacturing—sectors strained since COVID[1][2][3]. Timing aligns with stretched supply chains and hiring gaps from 2020 onward, positioning exosuits as a non-replacement solution for "hardworking humans" amid robotics' shift from automation to augmentation[1][3][5]. Market forces like rising workers' comp costs and productivity pressures favor Verve, influencing the ecosystem by pioneering scalable soft exosuits, lowering injury rates, and enabling data-driven workforce optimization for industrial leaders[4][6].
Verve Motion is poised to expand SafeLift adoption across more industries with its Verve Logic™ analytics platform, targeting further ROI proofs and integrations amid persistent labor challenges[4][6]. Trends like AI-enhanced wearables, regulatory pushes for workplace safety, and supply chain resilience will propel growth, potentially scaling to millions of users as exosuit tech matures. Its influence may evolve from niche deployer to ecosystem shaper, powering human workers in an era where robotics amplifies rather than replaces them—priming the workplace for a stronger, safer future[2][3][6].
Verve Motion has raised $35.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $20.0M Series B in December 2023.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1, 2023 | $20M Series B | — | 8090 Industries, Abstract Ventures, Kevin Hartz, Andreessen Horowitz, C2 Investment, Construct Capital, Framework Ventures, Greylock, Helium 3 Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Pantera Capital, Paradigm, Prelude Ventures, Safar Partners, Seed Club Ventures, SignalFire, Sweater Ventures, The Engine, Aaron Levie, Arash Ferdowsi, Balaji Srinivasan, Charlie Cheever, Christina Cacioppo, Dylan Field, Jawed Karim, John Collison, Julia Hartz, Mark Cuban, Tobias Lutke | Announced |
| Jul 1, 2021 | $15M Series A | Construct Capital | Austin Ventures, Founder Collective, Grace Beauty Capital, Kaya Ventures, Monarch Collective, Next Coast Ventures, RED Swan Ventures, S3 Ventures, SignalFire, SoftBank Investment Advisers, Springdale Ventures, Starther, Brian Cruver, Dave Balter, Ethan Austin, IAN Lopatin, Jiake LIU, Mark Cuban, Suhail Doshi, Thomas VU, Vince Thompson, Osage University Partners, Pillar VC, Safar Partners | Announced |
Verve Motion has raised $35.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Verve Motion's investors include 8090 Industries, Abstract Ventures, Kevin Hartz, Andreessen Horowitz, C2 Investment, Construct Capital, Framework Ventures, Greylock, Helium-3 Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Pantera Capital, Paradigm.