RoboK, the Cambridge computer vision company behind SiteLens, has secured $2.1m in growth and grant funding, bringing the total raised to $4m.
The round was led by Cambridge Enterprise, with participation from the Bristol Port Company, U-blox AG, Amadeus Capital Partners, Martlet Capital, the University of Cambridge Enterprise Fund managed by Parkwalk Advisors, Deeptech Labs and a number of angel investors. Grant funding came from Innovate UK and the Department for Transport, including £133,000 from the Freight Innovation Fund.
RoboK's technology runs on the CCTV cameras a site already has. It analyses the footage to find potential safety breaches, signs of delay and process inefficiency, and gives operations and safety teams a structured view of what is happening across the site. The new funding supports connecting more sites, starting with ports, and growing the commercial and product team.
Ports were the starting point for a simple reason: around 95% of goods entering and leaving the UK move by sea, and port operations combine heavy vehicles, pedestrians and tight schedules on a scale few other workplaces match.
The Bristol Port Company was both an early customer and an investor in the round. After deploying RoboK's technology on its existing cameras, the port reported a reduction of more than 90% in potential safety breaches within three months.
David Brown, CEO of the Bristol Port Company, said that "without question we now run a safer operation thanks to RoboK's technology and expertise."
Amelia Armour, Partner at Amadeus Capital Partners, said that "our team strongly believes in the AI technology that Hao and her team has developed," pointing to the commercial traction with ports as a sign the team was productising its technology.
Miles Kirby, CEO of Deeptech Labs, said: "We are excited to have this latest funding round validate the RoboK model," noting RoboK's progress since joining the Deeptech Labs Autumn 2021 cohort.
Hao Zheng, co-founder and CEO of RoboK, said that "our technology has the potential to revolutionise the entire infrastructure industry," starting with ports and aiming to make the solution accessible to any workplace with existing CCTV.
RoboK is a University of Cambridge spinout founded in 2017. Its product, SiteLens, turns footage from existing cameras into safety and operational intelligence for ports, logistics and industrial sites. Read more on the company page, or see how we think about safety.
Source: Cambridge Enterprise, 30 June 2023. Also reported by UKTN.