Scottish Robotic-Mower Developer Looking to Expand in the United States

Kingdom Technologies, a robotic-lawnmower developer in Glasgow, Scotland, has secured £2m (approximately $2.1 million) in seed funding from Scottish Enterprise and a range of UK and European investors.

The £2m funding will be used to support the growing demand for the company’s services and to expand internationally, Kingdom Technologies reports. The business has nearly 400 pre-orders from customers across the UK, Europe and the United States. Expansion in the U.S. is a particular focus for owner Joan Kangro.

“The investment comes at the right time for Kingdom,” says Kangro. “Having conducted a lengthy period of development, we are now ready to expand our service across the UK, Europe and the U.S. We know from these extensive pilots that we have a reliable and robust product capable of operating in complicated environments. The next phase of our business is to manufacture more products and expand our offering to the U.S. market.”

One challenge in the growth plan, Kangro notes, is the availability of skilled robotics engineers: “Scotland is good at developing robotics engineers and developers. However, the attraction to then move abroad is very strong. Companies such as Kingdom provide opportunities to put the education into practice, and at the same time contribute to the growing robotics industry in Scotland.”

Kerry Sharp, director of entrepreneurship & investment at Scottish Enterprise, says: “We’ve supported Kingdom Technologies for some time, so it’s great to see the company’s continued growth and expansion, including plans to create more Scottish jobs and to target the lucrative U.S. market. The company has cornered a gap in the lawn care market and is making the most of this opportunity. We look forward to seeing what they do and where they go next.”

Kingdom Technologies develops autonomous robotic lawn mowers for commercial customers requiring large areas of grass to be mown. The company already lists golf courses and local authorities among its clients. Kingdom Technologies has also developed a number of novel and patented technologies for mapping, localization and robotic perception (the robot’s ability to understand and maneuver around its environment). The company has run two-year pilots with numerous customers.

Kingdom Technologies has been supported from an early stage by law firm Harper Macleod. As well as advising on the latest funding round, Harper Macleod has also advised Kingdom on issues such as employment and immigration law, as Kangro seeks to double his team of robotics developers in Glasgow.

“After a sustained period of testing and development, Joan has created a product which is attracting attention from global customers,” says Harper Macleod’s Rachel Miele. “With strong pre-orders and scale-up funding, Kingdom is in a position to grow from its Glasgow base to mow large lawns all over the world. It’s been a privilege to work with Joan since Kingdom was first created, and we are looking forward to supporting him on the next stage of his journey.”

KINGDOM TECHNOLOGIES
https://www.kingdom.garden/

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