Silverpeak has advised Vaarst on the first $20m of a Series B funding round, led by Legal & General and Equinor Ventures, to accelerate the development of 3D SLAM and autonomous marine robotics technologies.
Silverpeak, the mid-market technology specialists that represent European growth businesses in M&A and financing transactions, acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Vaarst and its sister company Rovco, the UK-based innovative ‘blue-economy’ technology and renewables-focussed services businesses, on a significant growth investment to help drive the next phase of expansion. Legal & General and Equinor co-led the round; other participants include strategic investor for the US intelligence and defence communities In-Q-Tel, and existing shareholders Foresight Group and Martlet Capital.
Vaarst is a leading provider of subsea 3D computer vision and SLAM technologies; supporting offshore wind, wave & tidal, scientific, and maritime security sector. It also uses ground-breaking AI-based technology to revolutionise how energy companies manage subsea infrastructure and improve asset integrity.
Rovco delivers Vaarst technology into the energy transition space mainly focused on its use for subsea surveys in the offshore wind where it is a market leader in the UK, and in oil field decommissioning.
This new investment enables Vaarst & Rovco to continue global expansion plans, targeting the USA and Asia, as well as increasing its presence across Europe. Its existing customers include Iberdrola, SSE and Deepocean.
Silverpeak was engaged due to its expertise in deep tech, software, and knowledge of the international investor market. We advised Rovco & Vaarst on its Series B financing by positioning the company as an autonomous robotics leader in the global blue technology sector and approaching a range of international financial investors as well as strategic counterparties with a strong interest in renewable energy and ESG-focused investments.
Brian Allen, CEO of Rovco/Vaarst said, “The Silverpeak team helped us build the equity story and business plan; held in-depth discussions with global investors; put together the multi-party transaction; and provided invaluable support throughout the process all the way to closing – it was a huge undertaking and I’m sure resulted in a better outcome than managing the process in-house”
David Ford, Partner at Silverpeak leading the process added “Through this process, we confirmed that the Vaarst technology is years ahead of any competition, and with this capital injection from some great investors the business is now very well placed to capitalise on the huge opportunities in the subsea marine robotics space.”