BOW, a robotics software company based in Sheffield, has raised £4 million in a seed funding round led by Northern Gritstone, with additional contributions from Finance Yorkshire and Praetura Ventures as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II. The funding will support the development and scaling of the company’s universal robotics software platform and software development kit (SDK), which aims to simplify and lower the cost of programming robots. This announcement follows the appointment of Liz Upton, Co-Founder of Raspberry Pi, as Chair of BOW’s board in late 2024.
The robotics industry, projected to reach $260 billion by 2030, faces challenges such as the high cost and complexity of programming robots, which currently require the expertise of specialized roboticists. Additionally, software applications developed for one type of robot are often not portable to others, limiting wider adoption and innovation. BOW’s platform addresses these issues by enabling software developers to program robots using their preferred operating systems and programming languages, regardless of robot make or model. The platform also facilitates rapid application development, portability between different robot types, and fleet management.
BOW, an academic spin-out from the University of Sheffield founded in 2020, is already collaborating with Original Equipment Manufacturers, System Integrators, and Software Development Houses to advance robotics innovation. The company’s software platform integrates AI capabilities and ultra-fast communication protocols to optimize robot performance.
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.”
Nick Thompson, CEO of BOW added, “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.”
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, 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.”