FORT Robotics to Take Safety Stack Public via SPAC Merger
FORT Robotics, a provider of safety technology for autonomous machines, announced today that it will merge with Newbury Street II Acquisition Corp., a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The merger will take the company public on Nasdaq as FORT Robotics Holdings Inc. The company said the growing autonomy and human-robot interaction have increased the need for a trustworthy safety stack.
Samuel Reeves, founder and CEO of FORT Robotics, stated that the company's mission is to "ensure robots cause no harm" and that it is dedicated to building a shared framework for trust for robot manufacturers, integrators, end users, regulators, insurers, governments, and other parties. He added that trusting physical AI will be one of the defining questions of the time, and answering it will move machines from pilot programs to scalable adoption.
Founded in 2018, FORT Robotics grew out of Reeves's previous company Humanistic Robotics, which built landmine-clearing robots. The Philadelphia-based company said its Trust Layer allows systems from different manufacturers to operate safely around humans and in shared environments. The platform is backed by 25 patents and certified to Safety Integrity Level 3 per IEC 61508. Amod Damle, head of product, said safety is often an afterthought, and FORT's controllers give peace of mind at the highest compliance level.
FORT has expanded its offerings with several recent launches. In January 2026, it introduced Wireless E-Stop Pro, a safety-certified wearable device. It also released FORT 2.61 with enhanced software and API access. In May, FORT acquired Mapless AI, a teleoperation company, to add remote human-in-the-loop control. In June, it announced a strategic collaboration with NVIDIA under the Halos for Robotics ecosystem.
The company serves 600 customers across industries such as humanoid robotics, warehousing, transportation, manufacturing, construction, and defense. Notable customers include Agility, Google DeepMind, Zoox, and DoorDash. FORT reported 62% year-over-year revenue growth in 2025, including 91% growth among customers spending over $100,000 annually. It maintained gross margins of 70% in 2024 and 66% in 2025, while operating expenses grew only 19%.
The SPAC merger values the combined company at $556.6 million. The transaction is expected to deliver approximately $201 million in gross proceeds, including investments from Tiger Global, Prologis Ventures, and Mark Cuban. FORT plans to use the funds to accelerate development of its safety intelligence, observability, and cybersecurity software, and to scale its global go-to-market efforts.
Existing FORT shareholders will roll 100% of their equity into the combined company, retaining an estimated 67% ownership. The boards of both companies unanimously approved the deal, which is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval and expected to close in Q4 2026. The post-closing board will include Sally Miller, Jennifer Vescio, Vijay Kumar, and Karl Iagnemma.