Proteso

What Proteso does

Proteso S.R.L. is an Italy-based deep-tech startup that designs and manufactures powered exoskeletons for industrial workers performing manual material handling. The company was incorporated in 2022 as a spin-off of the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), where the founding team had spent roughly a decade developing wearable robotics technology beginning in 2014. Its headcount is six or fewer, concentrated across engineering, controls, R&D, strategy, customer success, and product manufacturing functions.

The company's flagship product is MOVI, a 4.5 kg powered back-support exoskeleton engineered for warehouse picking lines and similar high-frequency lifting operations. MOVI delivers 30 Nm of torque only during active lifting motions, enabled by proprietary lift-detection sensors that distinguish lifts from walking, reaching, and idle states, and supports a full shift on a single battery charge. A companion offering, MOVI Cloud, captures structured data on every assisted lift and converts it into fleet-level operational insights on task strain, shift-level load, and site-level intervention effectiveness. The "equivalent weight" measurement methodology, co-developed with IIT, provides quantified evidence of load reduction rather than asserted performance.

Proteso operates a B2B enterprise sales model targeting industrial customers in third-party logistics, grocery retail distribution, manufacturing warehousing, and airport ground operations, where manual material handling drives approximately €8,000 in hidden annual costs per warehouse worker and €20 billion in total industry exposure across Europe. The go-to-market motion relies on direct enterprise engagement via website contact forms and demo requests, with pilot programs used to validate use cases prior to full deployment. Revenue streams consist of one-time hardware sales of the MOVI unit with likely recurring revenue from MOVI Cloud subscriptions and supporting services. The company is a private limited company headquartered in Milan.

Name

Proteso

Legal name

PROTESO S.R.L.

Website

https://proteso.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Proteso is an Italy-based deep-tech startup that builds MOVI, a 4.5 kg powered back-support exoskeleton for warehouse and industrial workers performing manual material handling. It sells directly to enterprise customers in logistics, retail distribution, manufacturing, and airport operations via pilot-led deployments, supplemented by MOVI Cloud fleet analytics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Exoskeletons

NAICS

Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510), Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113)

SIC

Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842), Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)

akta.pro primary industry

Prosthetic Components & Rehabilitation Accessories (Liners, Feet, Knees, Sockets) (HLAHAMAD)

Keywords

• Powered industrial exoskeletons
• Back support wearables
• Manual material handling
• Warehouse ergonomics solutions
• Exoskeleton fleet analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

Genoa

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales (MOVI Exoskeleton): Sale of physical MOVI powered exoskeleton units to industrial customers. The 4.5 kg device is sold directly to logistics operators, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities. Revenue is likely one-time hardware with potential for ongoing support/maintenance contracts.
2. MOVI Cloud (Data Analytics): Cloud-based fleet management and operational analytics platform. Likely offered as a subscription add-on to hardware customers, providing insights on lift patterns, worker strain distribution, and intervention effectiveness across sites.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Proteso designs, manufactures and sells MOVI, a 4.5 kg powered back-support exoskeleton that provides active assistance only during lifting motions for industrial workers in picking and material handling operations. The offering is complemented by MOVI Cloud, a software platform that measures every assisted lift and converts data into operational insights across the fleet.

Product overview

Proteso is a deep-tech startup specializing in powered exoskeletons for industrial workers. The company's primary product is MOVI, a 4.5 kg active back-support exoskeleton designed for manual material handling and picking operations. MOVI provides powered assistance only during lifting motions, reducing the equivalent weight of loads through active actuation developed in collaboration with the Italian Institute of Technology. The companion platform MOVI Cloud extends the offering by collecting lift data from sensors and transforming it into fleet-wide operational insights, enabling companies to identify which tasks, shifts, and sites carry the most strain.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MOVI: The lightest and most compact powered back-support exoskeleton (4.5 kg) designed for manual material handling and picking operations. Features active assistance during lifting, equivalent weight measurement methodology developed with IIT, and MOVI Cloud for fleet operational insights.
• MOVI Cloud

Products and services

• MOVI Powered Back-Support Exoskeleton A 4.5 kg powered back-support exoskeleton built for picking line operations. Provides active powered assistance only during lifting motions (30 Nm torque), disengages while walking, reaching or idle, and delivers full-shift battery life. Targeted at industrial operators in logistics, distribution and manufacturing.
• MOVI Cloud Cloud-based analytics platform that aggregates data from MOVI exoskeleton sensors to deliver fleet-wide operational insights, identifying which tasks, shifts and sites carry the most physical strain. Offered as an add-on to MOVI hardware customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces effective lifting load - e.g., 15 kg lift made to feel considerably less
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIIT is Proteso's founding institution - the company spun off from IIT in 2022, transferring R&D efforts that started in 2014. Proteso's team spent 10 years at IIT building expertise in exoskeleton technology and physiological effects. IIT remains a key R&D partner, including joint development of the 'equivalent weight' measurement methodology. IIT's wearable robotics is one of its core impact areas.
• Aeroporti di Roma (ADR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerADR (Fiumicino Airport, among Europe's largest airports) selected Proteso in 2023 to pilot the use of exoskeletons for baggage as well as cargo handling operations. This represents a customer pilot relationship with a major enterprise customer.
• Tech Up Hardware AcceleratorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTech-Up Reggio Emilia supports hardware startups in reaching markets. Proteso was awarded participation in the Tech-Up hardware acceleration program in 2023.
• EIT ManufacturingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEIT Manufacturing is a European Union organization promoting sustainable manufacturing capabilities. Proteso was selected as one of 10 startups in EIT Manufacturing's Venture Building program, designed to launch high-growth industrial startups.
• INNOVITcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerINNOVIT is the home of Italian Innovation & Culture in Silicon Valley, connecting Italian businesses with Silicon Valley resources. Proteso was selected as one of the most promising Italian robotics startups/SMEs, taking part in the 'Robotics, Hardware, Advanced Materials' cohort in April 2024.
• Bocconi for Innovation (B4i)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerB4i is the startup and innovation program of Bocconi University, one of Italy's most renowned business-focused universities. Proteso was selected among hundreds of applicants for the B4i acceleration program in 2022 (batch 6).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Ottobock: German global leader in prosthetics and orthotics with the Paexo industrial exoskeleton line for back and shoulder support. Most direct competitor in the powered industrial back-support exoskeleton category, serving the same 3PL and manufacturing customers with broader multi-joint coverage and materially larger commercial scale.
• German Bionics: Berlin-based developer of the Cray X powered exoskeleton for logistics and manufacturing workers. Direct competitor in powered back-support with active-lift engagement, cloud-connected analytics, and a similar enterprise GTM motion in European industrial markets.
• Comau: Italian industrial automation company offering the MATE wearable exoskeleton for shoulder and upper-limb support in manufacturing and logistics. Same geographic footprint and customer base as Proteso, with deeper manufacturing-industry relationships and a broader product portfolio.
• Ekso Bionics: US-based exoskeleton company with industrial (EksoWorks) and medical product lines. Direct competitor in industrial upper-body assist, targeting construction, manufacturing, and logistics end-markets similar to Proteso, with materially larger capitalization and global footprint.
• Skelex: Dutch maker of the SkelEx 360 industrial exoskeleton for overhead and forward-arm work. Direct peer in the European occupational exoskeleton segment, serving similar manufacturing and logistics use cases with a passive-assist design.
• Sarcos Technology (Palladyne AI): US developer of the Guardian XO full-body industrial exoskeleton. Direct competitor in powered industrial exoskeletons, with a much broader product scope (full-body assist) and significantly larger R&D budget.

Emerging players

• Levitate Technologies: US developer of the Airframe and other arm-support exoskeletons for industrial workers. Overlaps with Proteso on upper-body/manual material handling use cases but focused on shoulder/arm rather than back support, primarily serving North American manufacturing customers.

Broad incumbents

• Hyundai Motor Group (Vest Exoskeleton): South Korean automaker with wearable robot programs (Vest Exoskeleton / Chairless Exoskeleton) initially deployed in its own factories. Broad incumbent with automotive-scale capital that could enter European industrial logistics markets directly competitive with Proteso.
• Honda (Walking Assist): Japanese automaker with extensive exoskeleton R&D including the Honda Walking Assist device. Broad incumbent with deep R&D resources and could pivot to industrial logistics applications, competing with Proteso for enterprise buyers.

Others

• Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT): Italian research institute that incubated Proteso's core exoskeleton technology. Functions as a strategic R&D partner and supplier of IP rather than a competitor, but represents Proteso's primary technology source and an academic channel that could enable parallel spin-offs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/proteso

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Proteso