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Sheffield robotics business BOW seals £4m seed investment through Northern Gritstone

Yorkshire robotics business BOW is set for growth after sealing a £4m investment.

Sheffield University spin-out BOW (Bettering our Worlds) has developed a software platform which handles the technical complexities of robotics, freeing up developers to focus on innovation and creativity.

The firm has secured seed round investment from Northern Gritstone, the investment business focused on science and technology businesses in the North of England, and co-investors Finance Yorkshire, and NPIF II – Praetura Equity Finance, which is managed by Praetura as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II.

BOW says that its software development kit (SDK) bridges the gap between diverse robotic systems, enabling its use across multiple platforms, regardless of operating system or manufacturer. The investment comes as the robotics market is predicted to reach $260bn by 2030, yet some areas are hampered by the complexity and cost of programming robots.

Last month, the company announced that Raspberry-Pi co-founder Liz Upton had joined the company as chair and it is currently working with OEMs, software development houses and research and development teams to address the core issues of portability between different makes and classes of robots. It said the seed investment will be used to fund essential development and to build the team.

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 £4m 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.”

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.”

Duncan Johnson, CEO of Northern Gritstone, said: “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”

Professor Sue Hartley, vice-president for research and innovation at the University of Sheffield, said: “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.”

Original artice – https://business-live.co.uk/all-about/yorkshire-humber