30/03/2022
Avular takes next step in its ambition to become a global player in mobile robotics.
The Eindhoven-based company, which started as a spin-off from the Eindhoven University of Technology, has secured an additional investment from its current investor Lumipol. With this investment, the now fifty-strong team will be able to realise the next phase of growth.
The investment
The reason for the investment was twofold from Lumipol's perspective. Tom Krieckaert, CEO of Lumipol, explains: “We truly believe in this team, and over the past few years the team has really proven itself. That remains one of the most important reasons for us to invest in a company – a nice idea is worthless if you don't have a top team to execute it. We also see many opportunities for cross-pollination with the other companies in the Lumipol group. In addition, the mobile robotics market is extremely booming and we share the vision that mobile robotics can help solve the world's hardest challenges”.
The goal on the horizon
Within ten years, Avular wants to be among the top 10 global players in mobile robotics. But that starts in Eindhoven. For example, they are in talks with local parties about a consortium for robotics development in the region. The Brainport region is known for its developments in high-tech systems and complex control engineering, but so far there is no central place for mobile robots where all parties can collaborate, demonstrate and test. The company wants to take a leading role in this within the region, and then set out from Eindhoven to conquer the world.
A big step
Continuing the collaboration with Lumipol is a logical step, says Yuri Steinbuch, CBO at Avular: “In 2018 we received Lumipol's first investment, back then with a team of four. By now we have more than 50 employees and have built up a solid product portfolio. We have grown as a company, but also in our collaboration with Lumipol, and we are glad that we can continue this partnership”. But this next step actually began last year already. The past twelve months were already all about defining and further developing products for the team, and Lumipol's investment will give that an extra boost. In December 2021 the company introduced its new product line The Essentials; a modular platform that lets entrepreneurs and engineers give their mobile robotics development a head start. In addition, the growing team is continuously working on the development of the Pioneers – Avular's robot platforms. In both customer projects and their own R&D tracks.
Changing of the guard - management changes
In July 2021 Avular welcomed Koen Evers as a new board member. With his experience in various leadership roles at Vanderlande in both technical and commercial areas, together with Albert Maas and Yuri Steinbuch he is growing Avular into an international player. Earlier, Joop aan den Toorn stepped back gradually as a board member, and recently officially, to focus fully on his greatest passion: the technology in the Avular portfolio. Maas, CEO and co-founder of Avular, sees this changing of the guard as a major gamechanger for the company: “Joop's stepping back was a big switch for our board, but we are all very happy that Joop can now focus on what he loves most. The arrival of Koen as Managing Director immediately brought a lot of experience, which has already further strengthened our proposition. With Joop's addition to the technical developments in the company and Koen's expertise in strategy and structure, we are at the start of an even more successful journey”.
What’s next
With a new investment, the current product developments and a new board member, Avular is fully ready for the next step. Internally, the company has recently focused not only on product development, but also on sharpening internal structures and strategies, under Evers' leadership. “First of all, we analysed the company's vision; not only in terms of technical aspiration, but also in terms of culture, company values and purpose; the reasons why Avular exists. We of course already felt those reasons, it's in our DNA. But we have so far done too little to define them and communicate them to the outside world. We are going to change that. And we have set two ultimate goals. In ten years we want to be a top-10 global player in mobile robotics, and one million robots using Avular technology will be driving, flying and sailing around the world. That is ambitious, but we are convinced it is possible. We want to make an impact on the world and work with the right partners to do so,” Evers explains.
About Avular
Avular is a pioneer in the world of mobile robotics, originating from Eindhoven. It is a young and ambitious company that strives to make the world of complex mobile robotics accessible to everyone. Avular has a diverse product portfolio - Essentials, Prime, Cerebra - as well as the modular drone platform Vertex and the modular driving robot platform Ranger. Avular, founded in 2014, started as a spin-off from the Eindhoven University of Technology. Over the past three years Avular has grown tenfold, consisting of a multidisciplinary team, enabling extensive in-house development.
