Silverpeak, the technology investment bank, acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Oxbotica, the autonomous vehicle software company, on a £14 million round of funding to support the next stage of its growth strategy. Funds were secured from three leading investors: IP Group plc, Parkwalk Advisors and AXA XL (formerly XL Catlin).
The autonomous vehicle software developer will use the funding to scale its activities in Europe, Asia and the US market, further accelerating Oxbotica’s sustained growth. Oxbotica’s customers include some of the world’s most prominent businesses in sectors including aerospace, automotive, construction, logistics and mining. Its software has been deployed across multiple industry-leading projects where the future application of autonomy is being trialled, such as with Ocado, at Heathrow Airport and on major city streets.
Based in Oxford, Oxbotica was founded in 2014 by Professors Paul Newman and Ingmar Posner. Oxbotica’s software uses the latest in computer vision, machine learning and artificial intelligence to enable vehicles to operate autonomously in any environment and on any terrain. This has made it an attractive solution for many enterprises looking to increase efficiency, productivity and safety.
Silverpeak worked with the company as lead advisor over six months to identify and contact a global array of potential investors creating a competitive selection.
Clive Scrivener, Chairman of Oxbotica, said: “Silverpeak ran a full process and provided us with a choice of investment options. We are delighted with the investment partners we have brought on board.”
Paddy MccGwire, the Managing Partner leading for Silverpeak added, “It was a pleasure working with a world class team. We are very impressed with the way Oxbotica has been built so far, and this funding will unleash the next stage of planned development. This is a truly exciting company.”
Paul Newman, Co-Founder of Oxbotica, said: “The domain-agnostic design of our technology, as well as its independence from external infrastructure such as GPS, makes it uniquely versatile across a range of industries. This has allowed us to trade from day one, attracting a significant blue-chip customer base.
“Together with our customers and partners, my fellow founder Ingmar Posner and I look forward to taking our technology – and our products – to the next level.”
Graeme Smith, CEO of Oxbotica, said: “We are on a mission to bring autonomous software to the world’s biggest markets. We have already seen extraordinary demand from a range of sectors and markets, with the successful deployment of our technology across a strong customer base over the previous four years.
“This injection of funds comes as we move the business into its next growth phase, enabling us to deliver our ambitious plans to scale our capabilities and international presence. To help us achieve this, we are very pleased to welcome our investors to the company and Jamie Vollbracht from IP Group on to our board.”
Jamie Vollbracht, Cleantech Partner at IP Group, said: “IP Group is extremely excited about Oxbotica; the company’s highly differentiated approach unlocks a wealth of opportunities. Impressively, by winning substantial contracts with major customers, Oxbotica has been able to fund activities to date without the need for investment. IP Group is therefore delighted to have been selected by Oxbotica as its investment partner as it looks to capitalise on the next phase of growth. I’m very much looking forward to working with the rest of the board and wider team to help capture the many benefits of this technology for all stakeholders.”
Gowling WLG, who have had a relationship with Oxbotica since the spin-out, were lawyers to the company.