CategoryWarehouse & Logistics Robotics
Appears inLogistics robots
Overview
American collaborative-AMR maker founded in 2015 and based in Waltham, Massachusetts, known for its Chuck person-to-goods picking robot deployed across more than 100 warehouses. Its ownership history is a cautionary tale: Shopify acquired it in September 2019 for about $450 million, then sold it to Ocado Group in 2023 for roughly $12.7 million, a reported loss of more than $437 million for Shopify, though Ocado noted the business was cash-flow positive with a solid client list. It now operates under Ocado Group.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 3 deployments on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Valuation of record
DEPLOY VERIFIEDAcquisitionAcquired by Ocado Group
Key facts
Robot
Scale
Stage
Customers
Founders
Data & sources
News coverage
2
Web sources
1
3 sources backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →6 River Systems on the deployment map
Where 6 River Systems's robots are verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
Relationships
Current leadership (1)
- Jerome Dubois Co-founder & CEOreported, not verified
Founders (2)
- Jerome Duboiscofounderfounded 2015-01-01no longer at company
- Rylan Hamiltoncofounderfounded 2015-01-01no longer at company
Former / Previously (2)
- Jerome Dubois Co-founder & co-CEOsince 2015-01-01secondary-verified
- Rylan Hamilton Co-founder & co-CEOsince 2015-01-01secondary-verified
Safety record
No incidents on record for 6 River Systems.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Operated deployments (3)
Operator customers (1)
- 6 River Systems3 deployments
Recent coverage
6 River Systems in third-party press
Peer companies
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- Locus Robotics5 models
- Robotphoenix5 models
- Savoye5 models
- Amazon4 models
- Geek+3 models
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- aggregator_estimate
- Lifecycle stage
- acquired
- Counterparty risk class
- moderate
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Funding rounds (3)
- Acquisition (Shopify)2019-10-01
$450M(reported)
Investors: Shopify (strategic) (lead)
- Series B2018-01-01
$25M(reported)
- Series A2016-01-01
$8M(reported)
Acquisitions (2)
- acquired by Shopifyfull acquisition
- acquired by Ocado Groupfull acquisition
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdJun 6, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedDec 14, 2021
Chuck at Milton Keynes
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedDec 14, 2021
Chuck at Stoke-on-Trent
Sources (3)
- Ocado acquisition (independent) · https://techcrunch.com/2023/05/08/shopify-sells-6-river-systems-to-new-owner/ · 2023-05-08
- $450M -> $12.7M value destruction · https://www.therobotreport.com/shopify-suffers-huge-loss-on-6-river-systems-sale/ · 2023-05-08
- Original $450M acquisition (primary) · https://www.shopify.com/news/shopify-to-acquire-6-river-systems · 2019-09-09
Common questions
- What is 6 River Systems?
- American collaborative-AMR maker founded in 2015 and based in Waltham, Massachusetts, known for its Chuck person-to-goods picking robot deployed across more than 100 warehouses. Its ownership history is a cautionary tale: Shopify acquired it in September 2019 for about $450 million, then sold it to Ocado Group in 2023 for roughly $12.7 million, a reported loss of more than $437 million for Shopify, though Ocado noted the business was cash-flow positive with a solid client list. It now operates under Ocado Group.
- What does 6 River Systems make?
- 6 River Systems has 1 robot model on the DEPLOY registry: Chuck (6 River Systems builds both physical robots and the AI that runs them).
- Is 6 River Systems publicly traded?
- 6 River Systems is not independently listed on public markets; it is part of Shopify in September 2019 for about $450 million | Stage: Sold to Ocado Group in 2023 for roughly $12.7 million on the DEPLOY registry.
- Who competes with 6 River Systems?
- On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to 6 River Systems building in the same form factors include Boston Dynamics, Locus Robotics, Robotphoenix, Savoye.
- Who is the CEO of 6 River Systems?
- Jerome Dubois is the ceo of 6 River Systems, per the DEPLOY registry.
- How can I invest in 6 River Systems?
- 6 River Systems has no separately traded stock; it is owned by Shopify in September 2019 for about $450 million | Stage: Sold to Ocado Group in 2023 for roughly $12.7 million (the parent is the entity that trades, where it is public).
- Where is 6 River Systems headquartered?
- 6 River Systems is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, US.
- Who owns 6 River Systems?
- 6 River Systems is owned by Shopify in September 2019 for about $450 million | Stage: Sold to Ocado Group in 2023 for roughly $12.7 million, per the DEPLOY registry.
- Where does 6 River Systems operate robots?
- 6 River Systems operates 3 verified deployments, including at Stoke-on-Trent, Milton Keynes, Waltham.
- Is 6 River Systems a top robotics company?
- On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, funding, hiring, media, safety, and IP signals, 6 River Systems ranks in roughly the top 18% of companies tracked by the registry.
- Is 6 River Systems safe?
- 6 River Systems has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
Methodology: Verified · 3 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-08
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-08
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- secondary-industry-publication
- Industry publication
- 1
- secondary-trade-publication
- Trade publication
- 1
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for 6 River Systems.Peer companies
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- Locus Robotics5 models
- Robotphoenix5 models
- Savoye5 models
- Amazon4 models
- Geek+3 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning 6 River Systems from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
6 River Systems Is Now OMRS - Ocado Mobile Robot System
Acquired by Ocado Group in 2023, 6 River Systems is now the Ocado Mobile Robot System (OMRS), providing warehouse automation solutions.
Shopify suffers huge loss on 6 River Systems sale
Ocado acquired 6 River Systems from Shopify for 2.7M, far less than the 50M Shopify originally paid. Founded by Rylan Hamilton, Jerome Dubois, and Chris Cacioppo.
Ocado acquiring 6 River Systems from Shopify
Ocado Group is acquiring autonomous mobile robot maker 6 River Systems from Shopify, rebranding it as the Ocado Mobile Robot System (OMRS).
Ocado Group Announces Agreement To Acquire 6 River Systems
Ocado Group announced an agreement with Shopify to acquire 6 River Systems, the autonomous mobile robot maker for warehouse fulfillment.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/6-river-systems.md
- RSS feed: /companies/6-river-systems/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/7908dc4c-836d-4e60-9873-1c2642c837c4
- Revision history: /companies/6-river-systems/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- Locus Robotics5 models
- Robotphoenix5 models
- Savoye5 models
- Amazon4 models
- Geek+3 models
Reality vs attention
6 River Systems draws attention at the 16th percentile but verifies reality at the 79th percentile among AMRs. Hype Gap -63.6, 28th widest among AMRs.
6-month trend
Analysis
Clean safety record across 3 verified deployments. Limited public visibility and press coverage relative to peers.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Jul 23, 2026