BGV Trident Capital, owned by former Russian State Duma deputy Ilya Ponomarev and ATB co-owner Hennadiy Butkevych, has invested $5 million in Ukrainian robotics startup Deus Robots, founded by Pavlo Pikulin. This was reported by Forbes Ukraine.
Deus Robots was founded in 2018 and has a portfolio of three types of robots: for sorting goods weighing up to 30 kg, for transporting racks up to 300 kg, and a cargo robot for transportation. In 2021, Deus Robots released 40 robots. Next year, the startup plans to release three new models. The company assembles robots in Ukraine and procures parts from China, Europe, and the United States. In Ukraine, Deus Robots currently works only with Nova Poshta, but according to Pikulin, the company is in negotiations with 13 local companies.
As reported by Interfax-Ukraine, Deus Robots plans to use the raised investment to organize mass production of robots for warehouse logistics and to expand the number of developers in Ukraine, as well as to enter international markets. It is planned that by the end of 2022, mass production will begin with a volume of about 400 robots per month. These robots will be used to automate logistics processes.
Deus Robots noted that the company previously developed on personal investments from its founders, with Pavlo Pikulin investing over $1 million. Currently, the company has orders for the supply of 400+ robots in 2022-2023.
“One of our robots can work for about 18 hours a day. This exceeds the working day of a loader or warehouse manager, whose working day is eight hours. And add weekends, holidays, sick leave, and other administrative costs associated with hiring people (training, transportation costs, etc.),” said Pikulin.
