What Britbots does

Britbots (legally High Growth Robotics Limited) is a London-based, privately held specialist venture capital manager focused exclusively on pre-seed and seed-stage UK startups in robotics, AI, and automation. Founded in 2016/2017 by Dominic Keen (Founder/CEO) and Alex Pejacsevich (COO), the firm invests through SEIS/EIS-qualifying fund vehicles — including the British Robotics Seed Fund, the Star Bots Fund, and the British Robotics Scale-Up Fund — typically deploying small initial tickets into technical founders sourced from UK robotics laboratories (including Bristol Robotics Laboratory, Imperial, and Dyson), accelerators, and incubators. Britbots sources deal flow from hundreds of UK robotics businesses annually and has supported a portfolio of 50+ companies that have collectively raised over £50M in follow-on capital, producing high-multiple exits such as Humanising Autonomy (25x), QLM (14x), Muddy Machines (6x), and Hausbots (3.5x).

The firm operates a multi-channel distribution platform. Britbots CROWD, launched in 2017, is positioned as the world's first dedicated equity crowdfunding platform for robotics and accepts investments from as little as £200, broadening access beyond traditional HNW investors. Institutional and advised-investor distribution is handled through partnerships with FCA-authorized fund manager Sapphire Capital Partners LLP, Citicourt & Co., and FAIR Advisers Limited. The two-person core team is lean relative to AUM, reflecting the firm's specialist, deal-flow-led model rather than a scaled operating platform.

Britbots' revenue model is the standard venture fund structure: management fees (typically ~2% of AUM across its SEIS/EIS funds and the £8M-targeted Scale-Up Fund) plus carried interest on realised exits. The firm has more recently extended its offering beyond capital provision to include an Innovator Visa Endorsement service for international founders, monetising its position within the UK robotics ecosystem. Britbots explicitly does not develop proprietary technology; its competitive position rests on specialist domain expertise, embedded UK robotics ecosystem relationships, and a regulated tax-advantaged fund structure tailored to UK HNW investors.

Name

Britbots

Legal name

High Growth Robotics Limited

Website

https://britbots.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Britbots is a London-based specialist seed venture fund manager investing in UK robotics, AI, and automation startups through SEIS/EIS-qualifying funds and a dedicated equity crowdfunding platform, serving high-net-worth and retail investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Other Financial Vehicles (525990), Open-End Investment Funds (525910)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Robotics & Cobots (IMAIAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial & Warehouse Robotics (HDAAAIAA), Autonomous Field Robots & Tractors (Driverless tractors, robotic carriers) (AFAAAGAA), Humanoid & General-Purpose Robots (HDAAAIAJ)

Keywords

• Robotics venture capital
• Seed investment funds
• Automation startups
• SEIS EIS funds
• Equity crowdfunding

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Fund Management - Management Fees: Britbots generates revenue through fund management fees by operating SEIS and EIS qualifying investment funds. The funds are promoted in the UK by partners such as FAIR Advisers Limited, with Sapphire Capital Partners LLP serving as the approved fund manager.
2. Fund Management - Carried Interest: Returns to Britbots are generated through carried interest (performance fees) from portfolio company exits. The fund looks to generate large returns for investors from early-stage robotics investments.
3. Mentoring and Advisory Services: Britbots provides operational mentoring and business development support to portfolio companies, which is included as part of the fund's value proposition to attract entrepreneurs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Britbots is a specialist UK pre-seed and seed investment fund that backs early-stage companies developing robotics, AI, and automation technologies. It operates multiple SEIS and EIS qualifying funds (British Robotics Seed Fund, Star Bots Fund) and runs Britbots CROWD, an equity crowdfunding platform for robotics investments. The firm co-invests £300,000–£400,000 per company and provides hands-on mentoring to portfolio companies to help them reach commercial exits.

Product overview

Britbots operates as a specialist UK Pre-Seed and Seed investment fund for robotics, AI, and automation startups. The core offering comprises the British Robotics Seed Fund (launched 2016, second fund in 2018) for early-stage investments and the Star Bots Fund for scale-up funding, both structured under SEIS/EIS for tax-efficient returns. The Britbots CROWD platform provides equity crowdfunding access to robotics investments from £200. The investment thesis focuses on countering three productivity crises: labour shortage, environmental sustainability, and resource scarcity. Britbots typically co-invests £300,000-£400,000 per company and provides active mentoring support to help portfolio companies achieve commercial exits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Star Bots Fund: A fund that focuses on productivity-maximising automation, robotics and artificial intelligence technologies, promoted in the UK by FAIR Advisers Limited.

Products and services

• British Robotics Seed Fund Pre-seed and seed investment fund providing £300,000 to £400,000 to up to 12 robotics and automation startups per year, structured under SEIS for tax-efficient returns. Minimum investment of £10,000 for sophisticated or professional investors.
• Star Bots Fund Scale-up investment fund focused on productivity-maximising automation, robotics and AI technologies, promoted in the UK by FAIR Advisers Limited to address labour, environmental, and energy productivity crises. Provides follow-on funding to top-performing portfolio companies with EIS tax benefits and a potential exit in 3-6 years.
• Britbots CROWD Equity crowdfunding platform enabling individual investors to build personal share-portfolios in robotics and automation companies with minimum £200 investments and SEIS/EIS tax benefits. FCA-regulated with Envestry providing regulatory oversight.
• Startup Mentoring Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Humanising Autonomy achieved 25x valuation return for Britbots investors
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SchlumbergercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2022Premier service provider to oil and gas industry. Signed Collaboration Agreement with QLM and is developing QLM's quantum-based methane detection technology into market-ready products for commercial release.
• National Physical Laboratory (UK)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022UK's National Physical Laboratory evaluated QLM's technology as part of technology validation process.
• Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Centre (USA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022US-based METEC evaluated QLM's technology for greenhouse gas detection capabilities.
• Thrive AgtechminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Prestigious agriculture technology accelerator. Muddy Machines was accepted as one of top 1% of applicants, providing access to mentorship and resources for agricultural robotics development.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MMC Ventures: MMC Ventures is a London-based early-stage VC with a strong track record in AI and enterprise software. Comparable to Britbots as a UK early-stage investor with AI sector exposure, but operates as a generalist rather than robotics-specialist.
• Speedinvest: Speedinvest is a European early-stage VC with dedicated deep-tech and industrial tech funds. Comparable to Britbots in pursuing early-stage robotics/industrial automation theses across Europe, but at substantially larger scale and with sector specialists rather than a UK-only focus.
• Octopus Ventures: Octopus Ventures is one of the UK's largest early-stage VCs, with significant AI, deep-tech, and healthtech exposure. Comparable as a UK early-stage investor pursuing SEIS/EIS structures, though it operates a much broader multi-sector thesis rather than robotics-specific specialization.
• Lux Capital: Lux Capital is a US deep-tech and science-focused VC with significant robotics and AI exposure across its portfolio. Comparable to Britbots in thesis overlap on frontier robotics/AI but operates at much larger fund sizes and a broader deep-tech mandate rather than UK-focused pre-seed specialization.

Regional players

• MassRobotics: MassRobotics is a US-based robotics innovation hub and accelerator. While not a direct fund, it performs similar ecosystem-anchoring functions to Britbots in the UK — providing deal flow, partnerships, and community access for early-stage robotics startups — but in the Boston/US ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Lemnos VC: Lemnos is a US-based early-stage VC focused on hardware-intensive startups, with deep exposure to robotics, IoT, and connected devices. It is comparable to Britbots as a sector-specialist early-stage investor in hardware-heavy deep tech, though geographically focused on the US.
• HAX (SOSV): HAX is SOSV's hardware and robotics-focused accelerator and seed investor, running programs for deep-tech hardware startups globally. It overlaps with Britbots in pre-seed/seed robotics investing and shares the thesis that hardware is investable, though it operates a structured accelerator model rather than a fund.
• RoboCap: RoboCap is a UK-listed, specialist closed-end investment fund focused exclusively on robotics, automation, and AI. Like Britbots, it pursues a sector-thematic investment thesis in robotics but operates a different structure (public investment trust vs SEIS/EIS limited funds) and a broader global mandate.
• Cybernetix Ventures: Cybernetix Ventures is a specialist US-based early-stage venture firm focused on robotics, automation, and AI. It is a direct functional peer to Britbots as a sector-specialist pre-seed/seed investor in robotics, though it operates primarily in the US ecosystem rather than the UK.

Others

• Sapphire Capital Partners: Sapphire Capital Partners is the FCA-authorized fund manager (FRN 565716) that administers Britbots' SEIS and EIS funds. It is an adjacent ecosystem partner rather than a competitor, providing the regulated fund management infrastructure that Britbots itself does not hold.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/britbots

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments5 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Britbots