Hong Kong-based AI self-driving trash-collecting robot startup Clearbot secures seed funding from the Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund, Gobi, and Earth VC.
Hong Kong tech startup Clearbot has closed a seed funding round led by Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund (AEF) and Gobi Ventures, with Earth Venture Capital, Asia Sustainability Angels, and CarbonX Capital also co-investing.
The funds raised will be invested in product research and development (R&D) to improve operational efficiency in different environmental conditions as well as further expansion across Southeast Asia. The tech startup will also further its research in data analytics to deliver ESG compliance insights for clientele, enabling them to optimise their business practices for sustainable development in the marine sector.
Clearbot’s artificial intelligence (AI) powered self-driving electric boat solution for the marine industry innovates across various commercial use-cases such as garbage collection, cargo movement, surveying, monitoring, and more.
The CEO and Co-founder of Clearbot, Sidhant Gupta, commented, “In the next decade, Clearbot plans to position itself in the market as the largest fleet of electric boats in the world and prepare the industry for the change towards sustainability. The vision for Clearbot is to bring the same impact in the marine services industry as electric cars did in the automotive industry. We’ve got Clearbot off the ground since 2020 and joined a thriving network of business leaders, investors, and potential partners. With that, we are confident that we can execute our vision into reality.”
“We have witnessed the growth of Clearbot’s team from university as a winner of the JUMPSTARTER IdeaPOP! 2020 to winning the JUMPSTARTER 2022 Global Pitch Competition. Seeing the way they have commercialised their innovative concepts into enterprise graded RaaS solutions has given us confidence that Clearbot will continue to create impact,” shared Cindy Chow, the Executive Director of the Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund.
Combining autonomous navigation with data analytics, Clearbot’s solution is the first autonomous electric vessel capable of operating autonomously across multiple waterways at unprecedented speed and efficiency. This enables the automation of pollution recovery, surveillance and rescue, and goods delivery, in urban waterways.
The startup’s latest Clearbot Neo model developed with Razer Inc. is currently available in both Hong Kong and India, with more than ten bots already operational.
“Civilisation thrives as the water flows, which are our resourceful rivers and oceans. But we are destroying and polluting them with millions of tonnes of plastics and garbage every year, with 95% of plastic in our ocean is transported by ten major rivers, eight of which are in Asia. As the founders are both Gen Z, Clearbot is truly created by and for the next generation, who will be at the frontier in our battle against climate change,” said Linh Nguyen, the General Partner of Earth Venture Capital.
To learn more about Clearbot’s innovative sustainability solution, watch our Hive Talks with Sidhant Gupta, the CEO and Co-founder of Clearbot, here.
Featured banner image credit: @Clearbot
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