Robotiq Company Profile: History, Funding, Products and Founders
Updated: 7 days ago
Robotiq is a Canadian company that makes adaptive grippers, sensors and ready-made workcells for collaborative robots, and says tens of thousands of factories use its products. Three engineers from Laval University founded it in 2008. This profile sets out its history, funding, products and founders.
Robotiq at a Glance
Fact | Detail |
Company | Robotiq |
Founded | 2008, as a spin-off from Laval University |
Founders | Samuel Bouchard, Vincent Duchaine and Jean-Philippe Jobin |
Base | Quebec City area, Canada |
Institutional funding | USD 31 million from Battery Ventures, December 2018 |
Users | Tens of thousands of factories, according to the company |
Stock listing | None; privately held |
Company History
Samuel Bouchard, Vincent Duchaine and Jean-Philippe Jobin met as students in a robotics laboratory at Laval University, and turned a university project into a company in 2008. Robotiq's adaptive grippers, which adjust to parts of different shapes, became a standard accessory when collaborative robots took off in the 2010s, and the company built a wide distribution network: more than 190 distributors in 48 countries by 2018.
In December 2018 Robotiq raised USD 31 million from Battery Ventures, its first round of institutional financing, to pay for product development and international expansion. Jesse Feldman of Battery joined its board. At that time Bouchard was chief executive and Jobin chief technology officer, while Duchaine had become a professor at the Ecole de Technologie Superieure in Montreal.
Since then Robotiq has moved from components toward complete applications, above all palletizing cells built around a collaborative robot.
Key milestones
2008: Founded in Quebec.
2018: USD 31 million raised from Battery Ventures; more than 190 distributors in 48 countries.
2020s: Expansion into palletizing, machine tending and screwdriving workcells.
Products
Group | Products |
Workcells | Palletizing, machine tending and screwdriving solutions |
Grippers | Adaptive grippers and vacuum grippers |
Sensing | Force torque sensor, wrist camera and tactile sensor fingertips |
Software | Force Copilot, palletizing software and related tools |
Kits | Sanding kit |
The company also publishes planning tools such as a palletizing simulator and a return-on-investment calculator. Examples it cites include a winery whose palletizing cells handle more than 5 million bottles a year and an electronics maker that automates 1.4 million screws a year.
Robotiq product reviews on All Things Cobots
Founders and Leadership
Name | Role |
Samuel Bouchard | Co-founder; chief executive at the time of the 2018 funding round |
Jean-Philippe Jobin | Co-founder; chief technology officer at the time of the 2018 funding round |
Vincent Duchaine | Co-founder; later a robotics professor in Montreal |
Robotiq's home page does not list its current executive team, so the roles above are given as of the 2018 announcement.
Can You Invest in Robotiq?
Not on a public market. Robotiq is privately held, with Battery Ventures as its institutional investor.
Strengths and Challenges
Strengths
One of the best-known gripper brands for collaborative robots.
A large installed base and distributor network.
Complete palletizing cells that are quick to deploy.
Challenges
Competition from OnRobot, SCHUNK and robot makers' own tools.
Dependence on other companies' robot arms.
No published financial figures.
Current Catalogue Coverage
Catalogue checked on 15 October 2026: 15 associated product records. The links below are representative entries, rather than a claim that every historical model is currently available.
Robotiq FAQ
Is Robotiq publicly traded?
No. It is a privately held company.
Where is Robotiq based?
In the Quebec City area, Canada.
Who founded Robotiq?
Samuel Bouchard, Vincent Duchaine and Jean-Philippe Jobin, in 2008.
What does Robotiq make?
Adaptive and vacuum grippers, force torque sensors, a wrist camera, and palletizing, machine tending and screwdriving workcells for collaborative robots.
Who has invested in Robotiq?
Battery Ventures invested USD 31 million in December 2018.
Sources
Association for Advancing Automation: Robotiq raises USD 31 million from Battery Ventures
Robotiq: home page
