RCS - Frontier IP Group - Portfolio news – Fieldwork Robotics £3M fundraise

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RNS Number : 5359Z  Frontier IP Group plc  08 April 2026

Reach - a non-regulatory announcement

AIM: FIPP

08 April 2026

 

Frontier IP Group Plc

("Frontier IP" or the "Group")

 

Portfolio news - Fieldwork Robotics to scale up after raising £3 million in
funding

 

Frontier IP, a specialist in commercialising intellectual property, today
welcomes the following announcement from portfolio company Fieldwork Robotics
("Fieldwork" or the "Company") that it is now entering scale up of its
autonomous harvesting robot technology after raising £3 million through:

 

·    a £2.2 million equity funding round led by Elbow Beach with support
from other existing investors

 

·    £1.7 million in project grants, with funding awarded from Innovate
UK and £775k of this being grant / non-dilutive funding to Fieldwork.

 

Fieldwork has developed the world's first raspberry-harvesting robots, and the
technology has now been validated following extensive field trials in the UK
and Portugal. The investment will now allow Fieldwork to enter full commercial
trials, including a two-year harvesting as a service programme in Norfolk,
with food company Place UK. If the trials are successful, Fieldwork expects
robot fleets to be operating on farms during 2027.

 

 

Frontier IP Chief Executive Officer Neil Crabb said: "We are delighted with
the progress that Fieldwork has made and that the Company is now advancing
towards full commercial scale up of its unique berry-harvesting technology.
The success of this funding round, supported by Elbow Beach and existing
investors, demonstrates the confidence they have in Fieldwork's commercial
strategy."

 

 

Fieldwork Robotics announcement begins:

 

 

 

Fieldwork Robotics Enters Scale-Up Phase with £3 million Funding

Investment and grant funding to drive farm adoption and commercialisation of
autonomous raspberry harvesting

·    Elbow Beach leads £2.2 million investment round, with support from
existing investors

·    £1.7 million in project grants, with funding awarded from Innovate
UK, supplementing the equity raise

·    Funding will move the business from a start-up to scale-up as
Fieldwork moves from tech validation stage to farm adoption

·    UK deployment programme confirmed with Place UK, with planned trials
in Portugal and Australia

Cambridge, April 2026 - Fieldwork Robotics Ltd
(https://fieldworkrobotics.com/) ., ("Fieldwork"), developers of selective,
adaptive and modular harvesting robots, is pleased to announce that it has
received £3 million in funding, including a £2.2 million investment round
led by Elbow Beach. The investment will enable Fieldwork to accelerate farm
adoption of its autonomous harvesting technology and transition from the
technology validation stage to commercial trials.

Berry growers worldwide are facing rising labour costs, a shortage of
available fruit pickers, and supply chain pressures that are driving up
harvesting wages. These challenges increase food waste, push up consumer
prices, and contribute to higher climate emissions. Fieldwork's autonomous
harvesting robots help to address these issues by reducing reliance on
seasonal labour, boosting productivity, and operating efficiently across
entire farms, helping growers protect margins and scale production
sustainably.

This investment enables Fieldwork to manufacture its new production robots for
deployment in a 2-year harvesting-as-a-service programme in Norfolk with Place
UK, as well as Littywood Farm in Stafford.  These trials will allow growers
to evaluate logistics, operational requirements, and infrastructure needs
ahead of wider adoption. Subject to these trials, Fieldwork expects
multi-robot fleets to be operating on farms from 2027, with planned
international trials in Portugal and Australia as part of Fieldwork's global
expansion strategy.

Elbow Beach is contributing £1.45 million in follow-on funding to Fieldwork,
building on their £1.5 million seed investment from 2023, which supported the
development and validation of Fieldwork's robotics and AI technology. This
follow-on investment reinforces Elbow Beach's growing confidence in the
company's commercial strategy and path to scale.

Supplementing the £2.2 million round, Fieldwork has secured a £1.6 million
Climate Grant and has been awarded the Innovate UK Farm ADOPT grant delivered
in collaboration with Place UK and Littywood Farm, with activities scheduled
to commence in June 2026.

David Fulton, Fieldwork Robotics CEO commented:

 

"Fieldwork is now entering its scale-up phase, moving from technology
validation to full commercial adoption. We are excited to demonstrate how our
autonomous raspberry harvesting robots can boost productivity, protect grower
margins, and deliver sustainable harvesting solutions in the UK and globally
as we build our international traction. With a strengthened leadership team
and strong investor support, we are well-positioned to accelerate multi-robot
deployment and drive the wider adoption of autonomous harvesting at farm
level."

Jon Pollock, CEO of Elbow Beach Capital, commented:

"Fieldwork has made impressive strides since our initial investment, building
a robust technology and demonstrating a clear pathway to commercial impact.
This round reflects our confidence in the team and their innovative
technology, which tackles labour shortages, eases inflationary pressures, and
meets the growing demand for automation in the sector. We are proud to
continue our support for Fieldwork as they help food producers scale
efficiently, expand into international markets, reduce waste, and drive
sustainable growth."

 

 

Fieldwork Robotics statement ends.

 

 

 

 

 

ENQUIRIES

 

 Frontier IP Group Plc
 Neil Crabb, Chief Executive                                            neil@frontierip.co.uk

 Andrew Johnson, Communications & Investor Relations                    andrew.johnson@frontierip.co.uk

 Company website: www.frontierip.co.uk (http://www.frontierip.co.uk/)   M: 07415 888 425
 Fieldwork Robotics:

Vigo Consulting
fieldworks@vigoconsulting.com (mailto:fieldworks@vigoconsulting.com)
                                                                        +44 (0)20 7390 0230

 
 Allenby Capital Limited (Nominated Adviser)                            T: 0203 328 5656

 Nick Athanas

 

 fieldworks@vigoconsulting.com (mailto:fieldworks@vigoconsulting.com)
 +44 (0)20 7390 0230

 

 

Allenby Capital Limited (Nominated Adviser)

Nick Athanas

T: 0203 328 5656

 

About Fieldwork Robotics

 

University spin-out Fieldwork Robotics is developing the world's first
autonomous raspberry harvesting robot. Designed to harvest at the same quality
as the average fruit picker and to significantly boost the productivity of
growers, the technology combines cutting-edge hardware and software to create
highly advanced harvesting robots that provide growers with efficient,
cost-effective, and sustainable harvesting solutions.

 

We lead the market globally in the robotic harvesting of fresh raspberries and
have strong commercial partnerships with key raspberry industry players in our
target markets to support our product development.

 

Learn more at: www.fieldworkrobotics.com (http://www.fieldworkrobotics.com)

 

About Elbow Beach

 

Elbow Beach is one of the UK's most active seed investors in transformative
climate technologies. We back pioneers of clean technologies that improve
industrial productivity efficiencies and outcomes. The companies we invest in
have potential to create real value for their customers while achieving
climate targets.

 

Learn more about Elbow Beach: https://elbowbeach.com (https://elbowbeach.com)
 

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