en 
2024-02-02
Press release (PDF format)
Acwa Robotics raises 4.8 M € to roll out its water network mapping and condition assessment robot.
Paris, January 25th, 2024
Acwa Robotics announces a 4.8m€ capital increase subscribed by Banque des Territoires, FMG Circular Invest, UI Investment, CAAP Creation, Calao Finance and Région Sud Investissement to follow up the technical and commercial development of its range of georeferencing and water supply network condition assessment robot.
Worldwide, 20% to 40% of drinking water is generally lost each year in the transport and distribution network. Increasing network efficiency is essential if we are to reduce Non Revenue Water for Utilities and secure continuous drinking water supply to our communities. However, the lack of information on the location and condition of water networks is the main obstacle to accelerating and improving the efficiency of renewal and rehabilitation programs.
ACWA's robotic and digital solutions aim at collecting an unprecedented variety of information from inside pipes, without interrupting service. Data collected such as precise geolocation, residual thickness measurement, deformation identification and visual analysis will provide strategic information to assess the conditions of the water infrastructure. This ground-breaking innovation should enable drinking water and raw water network managers to move away from a narrowly targeted curative approach (leak detection) towards a broader preventive approach to pipe repair and renewal. The result will be massive savings on water as well as on their maintenance and renewal budgets.
This new capital increase is marked by the participation of Banque des Territoires (1.4M€), FMG Circular Invest (1.4M€ - a fund of the Feralco group and Mellby Gård) and Crédit Agricole Alpes Provence (300k€), alongside historical investors UI Investissement, Calao Finance and Région Sud Investissement. Founders Jean-François Rossi and Jean-François Guiderdoni, with a team of around ten employees between Aix-en-Provence and Bastia, will carry on the technical development of the solutions and launch the Pathfinder, the first robot designed for water supply and transport networks.
According to Cédric Desmedt, Deputy Director of the Energy and Ecological Transition Department at Banque des Territoires: "By investing in ACWA Robotics, Banque des Territoires aims to broaden its range of solutions and financing tools aimed at accelerating local authority projects to preserve water resources, a key measure in its strategy.”
As for Ludovic Huitorel, CEO of Groupe Feralco and Partner of FMG Circular, the investment in ACWA is of particular importance: "For the fund's first investment in France, we have chosen the critical issue of drinking water losses in networks, a brilliant team and a technology that we feel is most likely to improve the situation.”
According to Jean-Philippe Zoghbi, Associate Director of Innovation at UI Investissement: "We are delighted to have such relevant players in the water sector as Banque des Territoires and Feralco join us in this new round, which provides Acwa with the resources it needs to pursue its development on a national and international scale.”
According to Jean-françois ROSSI, founder of ACWA Robotics: "After winning the 'Best of Innovation' award in the Smart Cities category at CES in Las Vegas in 2023 and receiving 2.5M€ in support from the EIC Accelerator, this capital increase consolidates ACWA's growth prospects in the water management ecosystem."
About ACWA Robotics
ACWA (Autonomous Clean Water Appliance) Robotics develops robotic solutions for georeferencing and assessing the conditions of water networks in operation to improve their asset management and Reduce Non Revenue Water. The company was founded in 2018 by Jean-François Rossi, an expert in information system design and embedded computing, and Jean-François Guiderdoni, a business developer in the field of new technologies. https://www.acwa-robotics.com
About Banque des Territoires
Banque des Territoires is one of the five lines of business of Caisse des Dépôts. It gathers the Group's in-house expertise for local authorities. As a unique gateway to its customers, it works alongside all local players: local authorities, local public companies, social housing organizations, legal professions, businesses and financial players. It supports them in carrying out their public-interest projects by offering a continuum of solutions: advice, loans, equity investments, consignments, and banking services. By reaching out to all territories, from rural areas to metropolitan areas, Banque des Territoires aims to maximize its impact, particularly in terms of ecological transformation and social and territorial cohesion. Banque des Territoires' 37 local offices ensure that its action is deployed across the whole of mainland France and the French overseas territories.
Working together to grow greener and more cohesive territories
About FMG Circular Invest
FMG Circular Invest is a joint investment initiative between the Feralco Group and its shareholder Mellby Gård, with the aim of developing sustainable water treatment solutions. The Feralco Group, founded in 2000, is one of the leading suppliers of water treatment products, with some twenty production sites and support services throughout Europe. More than 130 million people in Europe have access to drinking water using Feralco Group products and services. The company achieves annual sales of around SEK 3 billion (https://feralco.com/en/). Mellby Gård is a Swedish family-owned investment company, active in four vertical sectors: industry, consumer goods, agriculture and services. The three cornerstones of Mellby Gård's business model are long-term vision, active corporate governance and partnership with portfolio companies. Mellby Gård's goal is to help companies grow from up-and-comers to leaders. (https://mellby-gaard.se/en/).
About UI Investissement
UI Investissement is an independent management company specializing in the development of unlisted French companies. It manages around €1.5 billion in assets and invests with 350 company directors in sectors that are essential to society, such as healthcare, agri-business, services and industry. The investment teams dedicated to innovation capital deploy funds that enable the emergence of innovative projects and high-potential disruptive technologies in tech and healthcare by providing to them financing, advice and support. At last, UI also invests in projects aimed at strengthening local economic initiatives. Today, UI has over 80 employees and 12 regional offices in Besançon, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Lille, Limoges, Lyon, Nantes, Orléans, Reims, Rennes and Strasbourg, in addition to its teams in Paris.
About CAAP CREATION
As the leading financier of the regional economy, Crédit Agricole Alpes Provence, through its "Capital & Innovation" scheme, which includes the venture capital subsidiary CAAP Création, aims to support economic initiative and innovation in the Bouches-du-Rhône, Vaucluse and Hautes-Alpes regions. CAAP Création invests in innovative projects with high growth potential and provides equity financing for start-ups. Since its creation in 2006, CAAP Création has supported 140 regional companies.
About Région Sud Investissement
Chaired by Alain Lacroix and managed by Pierre Joubert, RSI has become a key player in seed money, capital risk and development capital. With 370 equity and equity-loan companies, the financial company created by the Southern Region and partly financed by Europe through ERDF funds, has substantial resources enabling it to cover all the financing fields of its strategy and to be an attractive economic development tool for the region. The company is advised by Smalt Capital for its capital and equity-lending operations.
www.regionsudinvestissement.com
About Calao Finance
Calao Finance is an independent private capital management company approved by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers offering various private equity investment solutions. The company brings together a team of around twenty investment professionals and sector experts. Funds advised or managed by Calao Finance, aimed at private, professional and institutional investors, have participated in the financing of 111 French SMEs. The management company is a signatory of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) initiated by the United Nations (UN).
Press contacts:
ACWA Robotics
Jean-François Guiderdoni – jf.guiderdoni@acwa-robotics.com– 07 61 07 85 06
Banque des Territoires – Groupe Caisse des Dépôts
Malek Prat : malek.prat@caissedesdepots.fr – 06 71 43 46 38
FMG
UI Investissement
Jean-Philippe Zoghbi : jean-philippe.zoghbi@ui-investissement.fr
CAAP Creation
Thierry Bourdillon : thierry.bourdillon@ca-alpesprovence.fr
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