Our take
Simbe has spent a decade on one job: telling a store what is on its shelves. Tally robots roll the aisles during business hours and report out-of-stocks, pricing errors, and planogram gaps, and Simbe now adds fixed cameras and RFID for areas a robot cannot see.1,4
Its deployment record is the strongest in the category. Simbe reports more than 3,000 units under contract across more than 75 banners, including BJ's Wholesale Club, Kroger, and SPAR, and it sells the system as a robot-as-a-service subscription. It does not publish that subscription price.3,1
Scores by criterion
Each criterion is defined on our methodology page.
Who uses Simbe and what it's for
Simbe sells to grocers, wholesale clubs, and other large retailers. Its 2024 partnership announcements included SpartanNash, Wakefern Food Corp., Northeast Grocery, Albertsons Companies, and CarrefourSA.5
The data reaches store teams as prioritized task lists in a mobile app and reaches suppliers through a brand insights product.1
Tally and the store platform
Tally 4.0, announced in January 2026, runs up to 12 hours on a charge, adds ultra high resolution and specialty cameras with 3D and 360-degree coverage, and runs on NVIDIA's AI platform. Simbe says Tally navigates stores of 150,000 square feet and localizes within one to two inches.4,1
Simbe says it is the first company to earn UL 3300 certification for a robot designed to operate in public.3
Funding and model
Simbe raised a $50 million Series C in October 2024, led by Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives with Eclipse and Valo Ventures.5
Its robot-as-a-service model bundles hardware, software, and support into one subscription, which lowers upfront cost for retailers.1
Competitive landscape
| Company | Product | Pricing model | Deployment footprint | Where Simbe wins or loses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simbe Robotics | Tally shelf-scanning robot and store intelligence software1 | Subscription bundling hardware, software, and support1 | More than 3,000 units under contract across more than 75 retail banners3 | Purpose-built shelf robot sold by subscription |
| Brain Corp | BrainOS autonomy software for scrubbers, vacuums, and shelf scanners8 | Not published; licensed through equipment partners8 | More than 50,000 BrainOS robots worldwide12 | Simbe wins on a purpose-built shelf robot and published fleet size. Brain Corp wins by adding shelf scanning to cleaning robots. |
| Badger Technologies | Autonomous robot that scans shelves and detects spills9 | Not published; no upfront costs9 | Grocery chains such as Woodman's Food Markets9 | Badger wins on spill detection in the same robot. Simbe wins on published fleet size and banner count. |
| Focal Systems | Shelf cameras with AI that scan shelves every hour10 | Not published10 | More than 300,000 cameras deployed; Morrisons and ShopRite are users10 | Focal wins on hourly scans from fixed cameras. Simbe wins on whole-store coverage without camera installs. |
| Pensa Systems | Image-recognition AI for shelf audits and planograms11 | Not published11 | Sells to CPG brands and retailers11 | Pensa wins on image AI for CPG brands. Simbe wins on its own robot fleet in retailer stores. |
Limits
Simbe does not publish its subscription price, so retailers need a quote to model payback.1
Results such as fewer out-of-stocks depend on store teams acting on Tally's task lists; the robot finds problems but does not fix them.1
Revenue is not disclosed. We estimate it at $30 million to $60 million a year, based on more than 3,000 units under contract on recurring subscriptions. This is an estimate, not a reported figure.3
What customers say
Where it helps
Simbe's homepage reports that Wakefern Food Corp. improved on-shelf availability by 50% across more than 90 stores, and cites up to 60% better on-shelf availability and 70% better price accuracy at retailers such as BJ's, Schnuck Markets, and SPAR Austria.1
Aidan Madigan-Curtis of Eclipse Ventures, an investor, described Simbe as one of the rare companies in the category delivering at global scale.3
Where it falls short
Most published results come from Simbe and its investors. We found no independent audit of its accuracy claims, so buyers should run a paid pilot with their own baseline counts.1,3
Leadership
Brad Bogolea
Co-founder and CEOBogolea spent 10 years in energy and wireless sensors, most recently at Silver Spring Networks, before co-founding Simbe.6
Sources
- Simbe, Homepage, accessed November 2, 2026
- Simbe, Who we are, accessed November 2, 2026
- Retail Technology Innovation Hub, Simbe lays claim to largest commercially committed fleet of shelf intelligence technology, September 20, 2026, accessed November 2, 2026
- Simbe, Simbe unveils Tally 4.0, January 12, 2026, accessed November 2, 2026
- GlobeNewswire, Simbe raises $50 million in Series C funding, October 24, 2024, accessed November 2, 2026
- Robotics Summit and Expo, Brad Bogolea speaker profile, accessed November 2, 2026
- Avidbots, Joint statement: Brain Corp and Avidbots announce resolution of patent litigation, accessed November 1, 2026
- Brain Corp, Home page, accessed November 1, 2026
- Badger Technologies, Homepage, accessed November 2, 2026
- Focal Systems, Homepage, accessed November 2, 2026
- Pensa Systems, Homepage, accessed November 2, 2026
- Brain Corp, Brain Corp reports 68% growth in global deployments in H1 2026, August 6, 2026, accessed November 2, 2026
