Ascent Robotics
Ascent Robotics is a Tokyo-based AI software company, founded in 2016, that develops AI-powered robotic picking and logistics automation software — including Ascent Pick, AI Piece Picking, and Packing Simulator — for Japanese logistics warehouse operators and manufacturing companies, built on proprietary simulation-based training and Digital Twin technology.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersShibuya, Japan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Ascent Robotics does
Ascent Robotics Corporation (アセントロボティクス株式会社) is a Tokyo-based AI software company founded in September 2016 that develops intelligent robotics software for industrial picking, logistics automation, and autonomous handling. Its core products — Ascent Pick (AI software for robotic picking in manufacturing and logistics), AI Piece Picking for Logistics (warehouse piece-picking solution), and Packing Simulator (container packing optimization) — are all powered by a shared technology stack centered on AI object recognition, grasping inference with collision detection and motion planning, and a proprietary Digital Twin platform that automatically generates synthetic 2D/3D training data with rich multimodal metadata (material, texture, center of gravity, curvature, roughness, surface normal, textual product information). The company's signature technical differentiator is its simulation-based AI training pipeline, which eliminates dependency on real-world data collection and human labeling, materially compressing model development cycles. The software is designed to be robot-agnostic, compatible with FANUC and Kawasaki arms among others, and operates with inexpensive commodity cameras, with optional WMS/WCS integration for warehouse deployments.
The company operates a B2B enterprise model targeting logistics warehouse operators and manufacturing facilities in Japan, with pricing delivered via quote-based multi-year contracts for one-time AI software licenses, recurring subscriptions for the web-based platform UI, and accompanying professional services for integration. Distribution combines direct enterprise field sales with strategic channel partnerships: Bridgestone Corporation (February 2023) for soft-robotics piece-picking using artificial rubber muscle hands, and Alfresa Corporation (March 2025) for pharmaceutical logistics and medical-practice AI. The company has raised approximately 1 billion yen (~$8-10M USD) in Series B funding from SBI Group and Sony Group Corporation in January 2022, on top of prior seed and Series 2 rounds. Leadership comprises CEO Ken Kutaragi (久夛良木健), the former Sony executive widely credited as the 'Father of PlayStation' who joined the board in 2018 and became CEO in August 2020, and co-founder Masayuki Ishizaki (石崎雅之) as COO. Operating geographies remain concentrated in Japan with no disclosed international expansion, and the company was recognized as Japan's #1 startup on the LinkedIn Top Startups 2022 list.
Ascent Robotics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ascent Robotics
- Legal name
- Ascent Robotics Corporation
- Website
- https://ascent.ai
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ascent Robotics is a Tokyo-based AI software company, founded in 2016, that develops AI-powered robotic picking and logistics automation software — including Ascent Pick, AI Piece Picking, and Packing Simulator — for Japanese logistics warehouse operators and manufacturing companies, built on proprietary simulation-based training and Digital Twin technology.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ascent Robotics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Robotics Software
- NAICS
- Industrial Truck, Tractor, Trailer, and Stacker Machinery Manufacturing (333924), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Robot Software, Autonomy Stacks & Simulation (ROS, digital twins) (HDAAAIAK)
Keywords
Where Ascent Robotics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Shibuya
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Ascent Robotics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- AI Software Licensing: Licensing of AI software solutions (Ascent Pick, AI Piece Picking, Packing Simulator) to manufacturing and logistics companies for robotic picking applications
- Software Subscriptions: Web-based software solutions with intuitive UI delivered as subscription model, with pricing based on usage and implementation scope
- Professional Services: Implementation and integration services for deploying AI robotics solutions with customer robot systems
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based pricing for enterprise deployments |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Ascent Robotics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ascent Robotics develops and sells AI software that enables industrial robots to recognize, grasp, and pack diverse objects in logistics and manufacturing environments. Its portfolio includes Ascent Pick (robotic picking software), AI Piece Picking for Logistics (warehouse piece-picking package), and Packing Simulator (container layout optimization), all underpinned by a Digital Twin platform that auto-generates synthetic 3D training data. Solutions are designed to be hardware-agnostic, working with inexpensive cameras and multiple robot manufacturers.
Product overview
Ascent Robotics provides an integrated AI robotics software platform centered on intelligent automation for logistics and manufacturing. The core product portfolio includes Ascent Pick (robot picking AI software), AI Piece Picking for Logistics (warehouse automation solution), and Packing Simulator (container optimization software), all powered by underlying Intelligent Robotic Systems technology. The Digital Twin technology platform provides automatic generation of 3D digital assets used as AI training data. The solutions are designed to work with various robot manufacturers and hands, offering flexibility beyond conventional robots limited to routine repetitive tasks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Ascent Pick: AI software solution for robot picking in manufacturing and logistics, featuring machine learning-based recognition engine and web-based UI.
- AI Piece Picking for Logistics
- Packing Simulator
Products and services
- Ascent Pick AI software solution for robotic picking in manufacturing and logistics. Features a machine learning-based recognition engine and web-based UI, handles various materials and item shapes, works with inexpensive cameras, and is compatible with multiple robot manufacturers and hands.
- AI Piece Picking for Logistics Packaged AI software for logistics sites that acquires product information (size, shape, appearance, weight, text) and enables robot piece-picking. Includes digital asset generation, AI recognition learning, and optimal placement capabilities, with WMS/WCS integration.
- Packing Simulator Software tool that calculates the most efficient method for packing multiple objects into a container, determining the densest layout and selecting optimal container size to minimize wasted space in logistics operations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Significantly reduces AI model development time through automatic training data generation
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Ascent Robotics
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ascent Robotics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability7 records
Feature6 records
Ascent Robotics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Alfresa CorporationcoreCapital and business partnership to advance AI solutions for medical and pharmaceutical sectors. Combining Ascent's AI recognition solutions and intelligent robotics with Alfresa's distribution network in medical and pharmaceutical fields for pharmaceutical logistics and medical practice reform.
- Bridgestone CorporationcoreCapital and business alliance to develop new intelligent robotics systems with artificial rubber muscles. Ascent's AI functions for object recognition integrated with Bridgestone's soft robotic hand mimicking human finger dexterity. Collaboration aimed at innovative automation solutions for logistics warehouses and stores.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ascent Robotics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Locus Robotics: Major provider of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for warehouse fulfillment. Targets the same warehouse-automation buyer but with a different hardware-centric product category.
- AutoStore: Global warehouse-automation vendor specializing in cube storage and robotic order fulfillment. Competes for the same warehouse-automation budgets with a more integrated hardware-and-software stack.
- FANUC: Largest Japanese industrial robot manufacturer with growing AI/vision capabilities. Competes broadly in the same manufacturing/logistics robotics ecosystem where Ascent's software integrates.
- Symbotic: AI-enabled warehouse automation platform combining robotics, vision, and software at scale for large retailers and 3PLs. Competes in the same end-market with a much larger deployment footprint.
Direct peers
- Dexterity: Developer of AI-powered robotic systems for logistics, warehousing, and supply chain tasks. Competes in the same warehouse-automation software category with similar piece-picking use cases.
- OSARO: San Francisco-based AI vision and control software for industrial robotic picking. Directly comparable product offering (vision-based piece picking) with similar target customer profile.
- Berkshire Grey: Provides AI-enabled robotic solutions for e-commerce, retail replenishment, and logistics. Overlaps with Ascent's piece-picking and order-fulfillment automation software.
- Covariant: Bay Area AI software provider for warehouse robotic picking. Direct competitor to Ascent Pick and AI Piece Picking, targeting the same end-customers (3PLs, retailers) with vision-based picking autonomy.
- Mujin: Tokyo-based provider of intelligent robotics controllers and AI software for industrial picking and material handling. Closest Japanese-headquartered peer, competing head-to-head in Ascent's home market.
Regional players
- Preferred Networks: Japanese deep-learning company applying AI to autonomous driving, robotics, and life sciences. Comparable as a Japanese AI-native company targeting robotics applications, though its commercial focus differs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ascent Robotics social profiles
Digital presenceAscent Robotics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ascent Robotics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Ascent Robotics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ascent Robotics M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ascent Robotics
What does Ascent Robotics do?
Ascent Robotics develops and sells AI software that enables industrial robots to recognize, grasp, and pack diverse objects in logistics and manufacturing environments. Its portfolio includes Ascent Pick (robotic picking software), AI Piece Picking for Logistics (warehouse piece-picking package), and Packing Simulator (container layout optimization), all underpinned by a Digital Twin platform that auto-generates synthetic 3D training data. Solutions are designed to be hardware-agnostic, working with inexpensive cameras and multiple robot manufacturers.
Is Ascent Robotics a public or private company?
Ascent Robotics is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Ascent Robotics founded?
Ascent Robotics was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ascent Robotics based?
Ascent Robotics is headquartered in Shibuya, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Ascent Robotics make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. AI Software Licensing is the primary driver. The others are software Subscriptions and professional Services.
Who are Ascent Robotics's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Locus Robotics, AutoStore, FANUC and Symbotic. Direct peers are Dexterity, OSARO, Berkshire Grey, Covariant and Mujin. Preferred Networks is listed as a regional player.
Does Ascent Robotics have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ascent Robotics.
What industry is Ascent Robotics in?
Ascent Robotics's product category is Industrial Robotics Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAIAK, Robot Software, Autonomy Stacks & Simulation (ROS, digital twins). Its NAICS code is 333924.