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Sheffield tech companies secure millions in funding

Writer's picture: Emi BagshawEmi Bagshaw

BOW, a universal robotics software company, has announced the successful closure of a £4 million seed funding round. This round was led by Northern Gritstone with co-investors Finance Yorkshire and Praetura Ventures as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II. This announcement follows the appointment of Liz Upton, Co-Founder of Raspberry Pi, as Chair of BOW’s board in November 2024.


The robotics market is expected to reach $260 billion by 2030, yet high costs and programming complexity often limit accessibility for developers. BOW aims to overcome these barriers with its robot-agnostic software development kit, allowing developers to program multiple robot models using their preferred programming languages.


BOW's platform empowers generalist developers to create and manage complex robotics applications, expanding robotics use cases in underserved sectors. Originally spun out from the University of Sheffield in 2020, BOW is now partnering with industry players to advance innovation in robotics.


Originally spun out from the University of Sheffield in 2020, BOW is now collaborating with Original Equipment Manufacturers, System Integrators, and Software Development Houses who are utilising the platform and software development kit to accelerate their development in robotics.


Two men smile in the BOW office with robots on a table.

Sheffield battery firm seals $7m funding to roll out clean energy tech in Africa


Mobile Power (Mopo), based in Sheffield, uses solar-powered hubs and local agents to rent batteries to customers who have limited access to electricity. They offer a pay-per-use battery-sharing service that is affordable for everyone, ensuring that homes, electric vehicles, and small businesses can connect to clean energy.


Recently, the sustainable energy firm secured funding from British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution and impact investor. This funding will enable Mopo to expand its battery rental business in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a key growth market. Mopo initiated operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the second quarter of last year and currently operates across six cities.


The financing from BII’s Climate Innovation Facility will allow the company to triple its service capacity in the country within the next 12 months, reaching over a million people. Mopo aims to revolutionise access to sustainable energy for households and businesses in both urban and rural communities across Africa.


They offer two types of battery rentals: a compact option for lighting, phone charging, and powering DC appliances, and a larger battery designed to operate bigger 230V appliances, effectively replacing petrol generators. This planned expansion is crucial, considering that less than 17% of the population currently has access to electricity.


It's brilliant to see both of these Sheffield companies at different stages acquire new funding to expand their cutting-edge tech in robotics software and clean energy, as the city gains recognition as a growing hub for tech and innovation. You can see these companies and other startups and scaleups to watch on our Dealroom data platform for South Yorkshire.


A woman in a fabric shop, wearing a measuring tape, holds a portable battery. The background is filled with colorful fabric stacks.

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