U-Turn

The problem

Warehouses move the same pallets along the same routes thousands of times a day, yet most autonomous vehicles require expensive infrastructure changes before they can help. Magnetic tape, floor markers, reflectors and reconfigured racking add months to deployment and lock facilities into fixed layouts. For distribution centres that change constantly with seasonal demand, that rigidity makes automation hard to justify.

Why now

Warehouses have faced persistent labour shortages and rapidly rising demand driven by online shopping. Earlier generations of autonomous vehicles required expensive infrastructure, making them practical only for the largest operators. Advances in sensors, onboard computing and navigation software made it possible for vehicles to map and navigate facilities on their own. Mid-sized distribution centres needed automation that could be deployed quickly and adapted easily. U-Turn arrived when the technology could finally meet that need and when operators were actively searching for alternatives to hiring more drivers.

The founders

Yusuf Demir built autonomous navigation systems for outdoor vehicles, where nothing is predictable and maps change daily. Laura Kim managed operations at a large distribution centre and knew exactly where time was lost moving goods between docks, storage and packing. They met through a mutual investor and realised that Yusuf’s technology could solve Laura’s daily headaches without the infrastructure projects she had always dreaded.

Why we invested

Malik led our Series A after U-Turn’s pilot customer expanded from two vehicles to forty in a single quarter. The vehicles mapped a facility on their first drive, worked safely around people and adapted when layouts changed overnight. Most importantly, the customer didn’t need to rebuild anything. Malik saw a product that removed the biggest barrier to warehouse automation and a team that understood operations as deeply as technology.

How we helped

We helped U-Turn expand from a single pilot to a national customer base, introducing the founders to logistics leaders across retail and manufacturing. Malik worked with them on fleet pricing and service agreements that made budgeting predictable for customers. Our team supported hiring for field operations and introduced them to financing partners who offer leasing options for larger fleets.

Where they are now

U-Turn’s fleet now runs in distribution centres across the United States, with no tape, tags or rebuilds required. Customers report faster throughput, fewer forklift accidents and the flexibility to rearrange facilities as demand shifts. The company recently launched fleet coordination software that lets vehicles from different manufacturers share routes. Laura still spends a day each month working a shift at a customer site to stay close to the floor.