BOW has secured £4 million in seed funding to simplify robot programming.
Takeaway Points
- BOW has secured £4 million in seed funding to simplify robot programming.
- The round was led by Northern Gritstone, the investment business focused on science and technology businesses in the North of England, and others.
- Software developers can use BOW’s universal robotics platform to create, manage, and deploy complex robotics applications.
How much did BOW secure in seed funding?
BOW, the universal robotics software company, on Tuesday announced the closing of a £4 million seed round. The round was led by Northern Gritstone, the investment business focused on science and technology businesses in the North of England, with co-investors Finance Yorkshire and Praetura Ventures as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II. This news follows the appointment in November 2024 of Liz Upton, Co-Founder of Raspberry Pi (LSE:RPI), as chair of BOW’s board.
The robotics market is predicted to reach $260 billion by 2030, BOW said.
Duncan Johnson, CEO of Northern Gritstone, remarked, “Northern Gritstone is delighted to support BOW’s team, who once again demonstrate that world-leading technology businesses are being created in the North of England. BOW’s groundbreaking robotics platform is a perfect example of innovation in the region born out of the University of Sheffield’s world-class academic research.”
Nick Thompson, CEO of BOW, said, “The robotics market is growing fast, but that growth would be exponentially higher if the tremendous cost and complexity of programming robots were reduced. Robotics has an almost unlimited potential to help humanity solve global challenges, but the world simply can’t afford to wait for robotics to standardise around a single operating system and coding language. BOW’s universal software platform and SDK elegantly solve this intractable problem by enabling any software developer to program various types of robots using the coding language of their choice, make portable applications and enable easy interoperability between any make and model of robot. This £4 million seed investment, led by Northern Gritstone, will be used to build on our strong commercial traction to date, expand our brilliant team and accelerate our product development so we can unleash the full potential of robotics for the betterment of our world.”
Other comments
Daniel Camilleri, CTO and Founder of BOW, said, “This investment is a defining moment for BOW. It not only validates our vision but also underscores the growing demand for cross-platform compatibility in robotics software. By simplifying robotics programming, we’re opening the door for all developers—not just roboticists—to shape the future of robotics. With BOW software, we’re enabling the ‘there’s an app for that’ revolution within the robotics industry.”
Professor Sue Hartley, Vice-President for Research and Innovation at the University of Sheffield, commented, “It is fantastic to see this level of funding being invested into one of our spinout companies. Academics at Sheffield are working at the very forefront of their fields, conducting research that can underpin new businesses and help develop new market-leading technologies. Our University is one of the best in the country for developing IP and commercialising research and investment such as this from Northern Gritstone is crucial in helping our spinout companies grow.”
How do developers use BOW?
According to the report, software developers can use BOW’s universal robotics platform to create, manage and deploy complex robotics applications and open up valuable new use cases in sectors that have previously been underserved by robotics. Robots running the BOW SDK benefit from ultra-fast communications and the platform’s AI capabilities.
About BOW
Founded in 2020, BOW is the world’s leading universal robotics software company, working with robotic hardware manufacturers and OEMs, systems integrators, roboticists, and software developers. BOW enables software developers to create portable robotics applications using their preferred programming language and operating system. The company is headquartered in Sheffield, UK and funded by a portfolio of leading investors, including Northern Gritstone, Finance Yorkshire and Praetura Ventures.
About Northern Gritstone
Northern Gritstone is an investment company, dedicated to supporting ambitious science and technology businesses in the North of England. Its philosophy is ‘profit with purpose’ combining strong returns for investors with wider positive, societal and economic impact, including high-skilled job creation and Levelling Up. Chaired by Lord Jim O’Neill, the company has made 30 investments in some of the UK’s most exciting future businesses.
Together with NG Innovation Services, Northern Gritstone offers ‘Capital+++’ connecting early-stage founders with funding and expertise through its close links to industry-leading partners and its founding universities of Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield. For more information, please go to: https://northern-gritstone.com/
