The Academy of Robotics, a British-based autonomous vehicle startup, has launched its pre-series A fundraising, seeking to raise £20 million.
The company has built a full licensed autonomous vehicle – the Kar-go Delivery Bot – using money it raised in an initial crowdfunding round in 2017.
The Academy hs also received a £1 million investment and a further £1 million from the UK Government’s Future Fund scheme in April last year.
With the first £2 million of the £20 million target secured, the company will look to raise money from venture capital companies and private investors alike.
The pre-series A funding will be used to scale-up production of its electric AV technology, which will facilitate opportunities for retail investors to directly benefit from the company’s growth and accelerated expansion.
This includes Academy of Robotics opening a new factory and test-track facility in a rural location in the East of England, which will create at least 100 new jobs by 2023, including skilled jobs and technological development opportunities.
“Having achieved so much since our last fundraise, we are excited to launch our next round, offering the community of individual investors a chance to participate in the high-growth autonomous vehicle and robotic technology space in the UK. As we support the UK competing for its rightful share of the global AV sector, we can, at the same time, alleviate some of society’s challenges, including supply chain pressures and air pollution,” says William Sachiti, the CEO and founder of the Academy of Robotics.
“The UK government’s Future Fund investment has provided us with a valuable funding injection following a challenging couple of years for high-growth technology start-ups, which will allow us to make the critical investments we need to scale to the next level at pace and stay ahead in this highly competitive, fast-moving autonomous vehicle space.”
Alongside its core focus on last mile logistics, Academy of Robotics recognises other use cases where its vision and robotic technology can solve wider challenges for the UK, if not globally.
Keyword: Autonomous Vehicle Startup The Academy of Robotics Launches Pre-Series A Fundraising