In a bold step toward redefining assistive mobility, ATDev has raised $3 million in seed funding, led by Dobrzlecki Legacy Ventures, with participation from UpHonest Capital, The Life Science Angels, and a network of mission-aligned angel investors. Founded by Todd Roberts and Owen Kent, ATDev is pioneering a new category of adaptive technology that gives people with disabilities unprecedented control over movement, independence, and life participation.

At its core, ATDev builds robotic exoskeletons and advanced assistive devices that bridge the gap between technology and human capability. By combining engineering precision with empathy-driven design, the company is on a mission to empower individuals who have long been underserved by traditional mobility solutions.

Engineering Freedom Through Innovation

The story of ATDev is deeply human. Co-founder Owen Kent, who lives with spinal muscular atrophy, brings personal insight into the lived experience of mobility challenges. His collaboration with co-founder Todd Roberts, an engineer driven by impact-first innovation, resulted in a partnership that reimagines how technology should serve real people - not abstract markets.

Their flagship device, a robotic mobility system that enables users to navigate daily life with greater autonomy, exemplifies this vision. Unlike most assistive products that focus on functional movement alone, ATDev’s approach centers around quality of experience: how it feels to reclaim control, engage socially, and move through the world on one’s own terms.

Investors took notice of that philosophy. “ATDev represents the future of inclusive technology - not as an accessory, but as an equalizer,” noted one backer. With fresh capital, the company plans to expand its engineering team, scale manufacturing, and bring its next-generation exoskeleton to broader clinical and consumer markets.

Beyond Function: Building Emotional Utility

Assistive tech often falls short because it treats disability as a design constraint rather than a design opportunity. ATDev flips that narrative. Every detail of their product - from balance support to sensor feedback - is informed by direct collaboration with users. This feedback loop creates not just better devices, but better lives.

That’s what makes this funding round so significant: it isn’t just capital for scaling; it’s capital for rethinking an entire ecosystem. With its blend of AI, robotics, and biomechanical design, ATDev is making mobility tech more personal, adaptable, and emotionally resonant than ever before.

And this is where the deeper founder lesson reveals itself. The best startups aren’t built by chasing technology trends - they’re built by chasing truths. When founders truly understand a pain point at the level of lived experience, product-market fit stops being a hypothesis and starts being a responsibility. ATDev’s rise underscores a truth many early founders overlook: markets don’t reward who moves first, they reward who cares most consistently.

It’s a quiet but powerful advantage. In the earliest stages, empathy is a form of proprietary insight - one that no competitor can replicate. For founders reading this, that’s the hidden moat: the more intimately you understand your user’s daily struggle, the more irreplaceable your product becomes.

Redefining What’s Possible

Mobility limitations affect more than 75 million people worldwide, and yet innovation in this space has often lagged behind other sectors. High costs, regulatory friction, and fragmented distribution channels have historically slowed adoption. ATDev is tackling all three.

The company’s engineering team has focused relentlessly on modularity - designing components that can be easily upgraded or replaced - allowing for scalability without prohibitive expense. Its AI software enables real-time adjustments based on the user’s posture, weight distribution, and terrain. That adaptive feedback not only enhances safety but also restores a sense of fluid, natural motion that other solutions struggle to achieve.

By pairing robotics with user-centered feedback systems, ATDev’s approach isn’t just solving a physical challenge - it’s rebuilding confidence, identity, and self-agency for users who’ve spent years adapting to the limitations of conventional devices.

The Road Ahead

The $3 million seed round gives ATDev the resources to accelerate production and prepare for U.S. clinical pilots. The startup also plans to expand partnerships with rehabilitation centers, universities, and accessibility advocates to ensure the technology reaches those who need it most.

Todd Roberts emphasizes that growth will remain mission-led. “We’re not just engineering devices; we’re engineering dignity,” he said in a recent interview. “This funding helps us scale responsibly - to ensure quality, affordability, and empathy remain at the center of every product we ship.”

Looking forward, ATDev envisions a future where disability technology isn’t seen as niche or supplemental, but as part of mainstream innovation. As the company scales, its founders remain deeply grounded in their original motivation: creating tools that give people not just movement, but momentum - the freedom to live fully, on their own terms.

A Movement That Moves People

The potential ripple effects of ATDev’s work extend far beyond its core market. In an era where robotics and AI often feel detached from humanity, ATDev is proving that technology’s highest purpose is to serve human capability, not replace it.

That ethos - to lead with empathy, to innovate through understanding, and to measure success not in units shipped but in lives changed - is what transforms startups from ventures into movements.

And for founders watching from the sidelines, ATDev’s story is a reminder that purpose-driven innovation isn’t the soft side of entrepreneurship. It’s the foundation of resilience, the reason teams persist through uncertainty, and the force that turns hard tech into enduring impact.