For over a decade, the Eclipse team has held a steadfast conviction: the next wave of transformative companies will rise from physical industries — sectors that comprise 75% of global GDP. I’ve long believed that the robotics revolution will be a catalyst to scaling human productivity in these essential sectors. Now, for the first time in history, we find ourselves at the precipice of a new era of economic prosperity, propelled by the maturation of embodied AI, pressing market demands, favorable costs, and burgeoning pool of experienced talent. We’ve arrived at an inflection point.

As we stand at this defining moment of our generation, a critical question demands our attention: if visionary brands like Apple, Tesla, and Anduril have proven the transformative potential of vertically integrated systems in revolutionizing industries, why has the supply chain — the very lifeblood of our physical economy — yet to witness a similarly transformative leader?

The first wave of robotics companies created rigid, point-solution systems, which — in turn — led to untenable complexity. As a result, general managers find themselves juggling dozens of disparate systems, each introducing potential points of failure. Consequently, many have come to the misguided belief that human labor is more efficient than traditional automation. However, warehouses are facing a staggering 49% yearly employee turnover rate, with some businesses experiencing up to 150% turnover annually. Adding to this challenge, geopolitical issues and unpredictable supply chains are creating an urgent need to fortify our national supply chain infrastructure from evolving threats.

For years, we have searched for a team with the proven expertise to harness the power of embodied AI to build a universal system. One that is powerful, elegantly simple, and agile enough to tackle the toughest supply chain challenges —  adapting to fluctuating requirements with high velocity.

Today, we’re thrilled to announce Mytra, led by CEO and Co-Founder Chris Walti, who previously headed the Optimus Robotics team at Tesla, and Co-Founder Ahmad Baitalmal, who previously led factory software at Tesla and Rivian. Mytra, founded and launched in partnership with the Eclipse Venture Equity (VE) program, is poised to revolutionize supply chains with a new, universal robotics system. It has secured $78M in total financing through the Series B stage, backed by Eclipse, Greenoaks, Co-founder and Chairman of Okta Frederic Kerrest’s 515 Ventures, Garry Tan, Lachy Groom, among other individual and corporate partners. 

Mytra: Flexible, Scalable, and Universal Supply Chain Distribution

Mytra revolutionizes material flow automation with a modular, system-level approach, covering up to ~60% of the process compared to the ~10% typically handled by standard point solutions. This scalable solution is designed for high performance, easy implementation, and robust support. Key breakthroughs that make this possible include:

- Moving intelligence to the software layer:  Mytra's robots use advanced computer vision, ultra-wideband sensors, and IMU feedback to process sensory information in real-time, enabling precise and intelligent responses. This streamlined approach at the software-layer increases simplicity, high uptime, reliability, and robustness without complex mechanical design.

- Human-level flexibility: Unlike traditional automation, which relies on constant connectivity and remote computation, Mytra's AI-driven robots operate autonomously, making real-time decisions and handling exceptions independently.

- 3D robotics movement in any direction: Mytra is a highly performant system that can move heavy loads (up to 3,000 pounds) in any direction, up, down, or sideways, between any points. This makes it incredibly flexible and efficient, pushing the boundaries of what’s physically possible in warehouses and beyond. 

Mytra's approach not only simplifies the process but also creates a virtuous cycle where reduction in complexity leads to lower costs, which in turn increases flexibility, adds value for customers, and enables greater scale, further driving down costs. 

Customer Focus: Slow to Go Fast

During the initial six months of Mytra, which constitutes approximately 25% of the company's lifespan to date, Eclipse and Mytra's primary focus was on comprehensively understanding their customers' needs. We prioritized validating customer specifications over rapid prototyping or software development, ensuring alignment with customer requirements. We rolled up our sleeves, determined the spec sheet-level performance needed to delight the customer, and engaged in countless conversations with supply chain managers. 

This spec sheet is crucial; it goes beyond standard, high-level promises and outlines unit-level performance metrics: speed, payload capacity, power requirements, and software integration capabilities. It serves as the focal point for the entire team, guiding every development step. This disciplined approach of prioritizing the work needed to ratify a detailed system design that would unquestionably delight customers enabled Mytra to move with remarkable speed and precision over the past two and a half years.

The critical question for companies considering a system-level supply chain solution is: does it work? Mytra has confidently crossed that threshold. The company is now in production with Albertsons and has a substantial backlog of Fortune 100 customers who are making Mytra's solution a strategic part of their growth plans. Mytra is now well-positioned to accelerate and scale, helping businesses optimize their operations for maximum efficiency and productivity.

A Team Built to Win

What’s truly at the heart of Mytra’s potential is its team — a powerful fusion of charismatic leadership and technical brilliance. Chris' ability to attract top-tier engineers and deliver complex engineering projects is matched by his skill in selling the vision to investors, partners, and customers. His credibility stems from a proven track record of execution, leading robotics teams at Tesla that have been central to the upheaval of the automotive and EV industries. Chris’ talents dovetail with Mytra’s CTO and Co-founder, Ahmad Baitalmal, who not only brings technical brilliance but also deep experience in developing and deploying systems at scale at Tesla and Rivian. Cumulatively, Ahmad has helped architect the software that powers half of the world’s new manufacturing capacity built in the last 7 years.

Tackling mission-critical supply chain demands seasoned talent with proven expertise in building and deploying hardware and software systems at scale. Mytra’s founding team, having repeatedly conquered these challenges, moves decisively and with precision, avoiding the unoriginal mistakes that others inevitably make when building in highly complex environments. 

They’re further bolstered by their firsthand experience as customers of automotive and EV supply chain distribution. They’ve personally felt the visceral pain of existing systems in both design and implementation, often requiring excessive support and proving to be an absolute nightmare to work with. This deep understanding of the market's inadequacies ignites a fierce, internal determination to build a solution that addresses these glaring deficiencies head-on.

Unleashing the Future of Supply Chains 

We’ve made incredible strides in the field of robotics and yet, in many ways, we’re just getting started. Groundbreaking technical innovation spurred initial commercial products and like the early days of mobile phones, we are now at the dawn of a new era, similar to when Nokia and BlackBerry first introduced their devices. Those early products paved the way for Apple and Google creating iOS and Android, sparking an entirely new economy, and a wave of startups and industries like mobile app development, social media platforms, and e-commerce.

Pioneers like Tesla, Amazon, SpaceX, and Anduril have shown how traditional industries can similarly be transformed. By focusing on customer needs, leveraging the power of tightly integrated software, and building a team of seasoned experts, Mytra is poised to set new standards, become the generational brand that the supply chain industry has been waiting for, and inspire the generation of entrepreneurs dedicated to solving really big problems.

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