Glasgow robotic lawn mower maker scaling up with £2 million funding

A University of Glasgow graduate is scaling up production of his commercial robotic lawn mower having secured £2 million in funding.

Joan Kangro, originally from Estonia, but now living in Glasgow, established Kingdom Technologies in 2018 after graduating from the University of Glasgow.

The Glasgow-based technology business 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.

Robots developed by Kingdom are able to cover areas ten times greater than traditional robot mowers due to smart navigation technologies.

The company has also developed a number of novel and patented technologies for mapping, localisation and robotic perception.

With support from the European Regional Development Fund through Glasgow City Council’s business advisory scheme and the University of Glasgow, Kangro went on to win in the Scottish Edge Wild Card competition and RSE Unlocking Ambition Enterprise Fellowship.

The £2m funding has been provided by Scottish Enterprise and a range of UK and European investors. It will be used to support the growing demand for the firm’s services and to expand internationally.

The business has nearly 400 pre-orders from customers across the UK, Europe and the US. Expansion in the US is a particular focus for Kangro.

Glasgow-based tech business Kingdom Technologies develops autonomous robotic lawn mowers for commercial customers requiring large areas of grass to be mown.

He said: “The investment comes at the right time for Kingdom. Having conducted a lengthy period of development, we are now ready to expand our service across the UK, Europe and the US.

“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 US market.”

Kingdom Technologies has been supported from an early stage by the entrepreneurial team at legal firm Harper Macleod. As well as advising on the latest funding round, Harper Macleod has advised Kingdom on issues such as employment and immigration law.

Rachel Miele, in the corporate team at Harper Macleod, said: “After a sustained period of testing and development, Joan has created a product which is attracting attention from global customers.”