What we invest in
Companies using autonomy, perception, human in the loop systems, intelligent platforms, and edge AI components to do useful work outside the lab. We look for products already working with paying customers and a clear path to repeatable deployments.
Stage and geography
Late seed and Series A as lead or co lead, with reserves for selective Series B. UK and Europe first, with room for a limited number of non UK opportunities where the fit is strong.
Selection criteria
The system performs in messy environments including GPS denied settings. There is a safety case, an install and service playbook, and a plan for training operators.
Payback within twelve to eighteen months at small scale. Total cost of ownership beats the current process. Gross margin improves after install through software, telemetry, and services.
Moats that grow with use. Examples include proprietary data, control stacks, workflow integration, certification, distribution, or a service layer that raises switching costs.
A clear serviceable market, visible buyer pull, and a route from one site to many sites. We avoid narrow use cases that cannot scale.
Founders who stop and listen. A core leadership bench, clean cap table, and willingness to add talent and adopt good board practice.
Evidence of safe operation, quality systems, and a credible regulatory path in the target sectors.
We build a small number of high conviction positions. At the time of investment we do not put more than ten percent of net asset value into a single company, we do not own more than thirty percent of a company, and we do not invest more than thirty percent of net asset value into companies headquartered outside the UK.
We do not use leverage. Derivatives may only be used to manage currency exposure.
Portfolio construction and limits
We prefer primary preferred equity with attached warrants where appropriate, and may combine with secondary ordinary shares at a discount.
We expect meaningful ownership with rights to follow on. Co investment alongside the fund is expected during the deployment period.
Deal structure
We help with customer access, pilot design, safety documentation, install playbooks, pricing and service design, unit economics, senior hiring, and round design. Reporting focuses on uptime, payback, recurring revenue, and deployment footprint.
Value creation
We run parallel technical and commercial work. This covers architecture, sensing and control, reliability in the field, quality and safety records, customer references, pricing and margin, regulatory path, cap table and terms. Investments require written memos and approval by the investment committee.
Diligence and decision process
We reserve capital to protect positions and to back the strongest performers at the next round. We may accelerate to exit where a secondary sale can lock in a superior outcome.
Follow on policy
Trade sale, public listing when markets allow, or secondary share transactions. We target deals with a credible path to ten times cash on cash at exit, aiming for more than twenty percent net internal rate of return at the fund level. Targets are not a guarantee and capital is at risk.
Exit pathways
We prefer systems with clear human oversight, strong safety practices, and thoughtful data governance. We back teams that raise worker safety, improve energy use, and operate within applicable law and standards.
Responsible deployment
Star Bots Fund is promoted in the UK by FAIR Advisers Limited (FRN: 948164) and in Guernsey by Star Tech NG (Guernsey) Limited.
This website does not constitute an offer to the public and is not approved under s.21 FSMA 2000. Investing involves a risk of capital loss.