BotsAndUs, a London-based start-up that provides full-stack robot systems for public spaces, has closed a US$6m (£4.8m) equity funding round led by Kindred Capital and Capnamic Ventures, with participation from angel investors from the UK and the USA.
The company was also awarded funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme as well as Innovate UK.
Founded by two Romanian robotics engineers in 2015, the company develops robots designed to work alongside people in places such as large retail stores, shopping centres, office buildings and airports. Customers include MediaMarktSaturn, dnata, Heathrow Airport and British Airways. In addition to taking care of repetitive tasks, the robots provide round-the-clock customer service and on-site data collection and analysis.
With the new funding, BotsAndUs said it will grow the team, accelerate robot deployments and explore new products and services in response to a recent surge in demand for automation. Specifically, the start-up wants to develop automation solutions for indoor, dynamic spaces, “unstructured environments where people traffic and excessive noise normally create challenges for autonomous robots”.
Russell Buckley of Kindred Capital said: “Their pioneering robotics and AI products are at the forefront of a much needed next wave of automation – bringing robots out of factories and warehouses so they can make an impact on businesses operating in a variety of indoor, crowded, public spaces.”
