10 Oxford founders have raised $493M to build robots

Oxford alumni have left a significant mark on the global robotics landscape, founding ventures across autonomous vehicles, drones, retail automation, and healthcare robotics. Collectively, these Oxford-affiliated robotics companies have raised $493 million, with some thriving and others facing challenges or acquisitions.

Given the strength of engineering, AI, and robotics in Oxford, I expect we’ll see more founders coming through the ecosystem in the coming years - especially with programs like the Oxford Robotics Institute in full swing.

Here’s a look at 10 Oxford-affiliated founders shaping the robotics sector.

Industrial Robotics

Oxford Dynamics is pioneering AI-driven robotics for hazardous environments, securing a £1M contract with the UK Ministry of Defence for its Strider robot. Designed for chemical, biological, and nuclear incidents, Strider autonomously retrieves contaminated objects and navigates extreme conditions. The startup also won a £2M MoD contract for its AI system, AVIS, which enhances data analysis for high-security applications. Based in Harwell, Oxfordshire, Oxford Dynamics aims to scale its robotics solutions across defense, environmental remediation, and future autonomous systems in aerospace and submarines. (Oxford Dynamics looks seriously cool - couldn’t find much out about their fundraising or backers, so sorry - not included below).

Drones

London-based Skyports is developing vertiport infrastructure and autonomous drone services. The company recently secured over €103M to scale its electric drone business, funding projects like air taxi hubs in Dubai by 2026 and expanding drone-based medical deliveries and offshore asset inspections. Led by ACS Group, the investment strengthens Skyports’ leadership in next-gen aerial logistics.

• Funding Raised: €103M+

• Key Investors: ACS Group, Groupe ADP

Autonomous Vehicles

UK-based Oxa (formerly Oxbotica) is developing self-driving software with its "Universal Autonomy" platform. The company has raised $225M+, deploying AI-powered driverless solutions across logistics, mining, and industrial sectors. Recent expansions include self-driving Ford E-Transit vans for commercial transport in the UK and US. Oxa recently acquired StreetDrone - another Oxford-affiliated founder’s venture, bolstering its presence in industrial logistics, particularly in ports, airports, and fulfillment centers.

• Funding Raised: $225M+

• Key Investors: Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance, ENEOS Innovation Partners, bp ventures, Tencent, Ocado Group, ZF, BGF, and IP Group

Agricultural robotics firm Burro has raised $24M to scale its fleet of harvest-assist robots, which autonomously transport crops and reduce manual labor. A partnership with GEODNET integrates RTK GPS for centimeter-level precision, enabling the company to expand from “people-scale” robots to “pallet-scale” automation across multiple agricultural applications.

• Funding Raised: $24M+

• Key Investors: Catalyst Investors, Translink Capital

Blue Vision Labs (Acquired by Lyft) specialized in augmented reality software for autonomous vehicles, offering high-precision spatial awareness. The startup, backed by GV and Accel, raised $17M before Lyft acquired it for up to $100M, establishing Lyft’s UK hub for self-driving technology.

• Funding Raised: $17M+ (acquired for ~$100M)

• Key Investors: GV, Accel

Xihelm developed AI-powered robotic harvesting technology for vine tomatoes, addressing labor shortages in greenhouses. Despite early promise, the company entered administration in May 2024, struggling to secure funding in a competitive agritech market.

Retail

August Robotics, backed by Blackbird Ventures and Grok Ventures, launched its first robots to automate trade show floor marking. The company is still active, marking 9.7 million square meters across 1,402 exhibition halls. Clients like Freeman, GES, and Fern rely on its robots to enhance efficiency and reduce setup costs.

• Funding Raised: $5M+

• Key Investors: Blackbird Ventures, Grok Ventures

UK-based Karakuri (since shut down) had focused on food automation, developing robotic fryers and SEMBLR, a meal assembly system. Despite securing backing from Ocado, the company shut down in 2023 after failing to close a funding deal with Henny Penny, highlighting the challenges of scaling food robotics.

Care & Healthcare Robotics

Hooman Robotics is relatively new, and I couldn’t find out too much about but looks to be working to change elderly care with AI-driven assistive robots. Using facial recognition, SLAM mapping, and natural language processing, its robots autonomously navigate environments, deliver reminders, retrieve items, and assist caregivers. The company also offers ROS training courses, helping developers build robotics applications.

Seamless Vision is deploying drug-delivery robots at Sheba Medical Center, Israel’s largest hospital. These robots autonomously transport chemotherapy medications through underground tunnels, corridors, and elevators, reducing wait times and enhancing efficiency. Their AI-driven security system ensures drugs reach the intended recipients without tampering. Also couldn’t find too much here, but does seem active.

Oxford-affiliated robotics ventures have collectively raised $493M, demonstrating the university’s impact on the industry. While some ventures have thrived—Skyports, Oxa, Burro, and Seamless Vision—others, like Xihelm and Karakuri, have struggled or shut down.

With increased M&A activity, as seen with Oxa’s acquisition of StreetDrone and Lyft’s takeover of Blue Vision Labs, the robotics sector is consolidating, positioning leading startups for long-term growth.

I expect there will be a move away from SLAM and towards neural network integration - even some NLP voice command integration - in the coming year, for both human-facing robots (e.g., in care) but also in industrial setings.

Here’s hoping for more robotics ventures coming through Oxford. If you’re an Oxford student or alumni interested in building a robotics startup, get in touch! Would be interested to support however I can.

I have a feeling we’ll be seeing some Y-Combinator robotics companies coming through this year with Oxford & Cambridge affiliation… just saying.

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