INSIGHTS / News

SETsquared Bristol member and educational technology developer, AutonoMe, has raised over £400k in its latest funding round to further enhance its support for vulnerable people in education and social care settings.

The investment, which has been made by City Funds, South East Angels, Bristol Private Equity Club and current shareholders, will help AutonoMe to expand its support for children and young people by providing further access to its services in schools and colleges, aiding their journey towards more independent living.

The funding will also be used to roll out AutonoMe’s new employability services, helping ensure that vulnerable people can learn the vital skills needed to secure and maintain employment and live more independently.

AutonoMe combines technology with one-to-one support to improve outcomes for vulnerable people in education and social care. The AutonoMe app gives users access to personalised, instructional video programmes to develop and maintain their independence and prepare for employment while presenting social care and education providers with real-time data to evaluate impacts and a user’s progress towards independence.

The platform is being used by organisations across the UK including London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Devon Council, Telford & Wrekin Council, Shropshire Council, City of Bristol College, Weston College and many more.

This is AutonoMe’s third funding round and the largest investment the company has received to date.

William Britton, Founder and CEO of AutonoMe, said: “Providing vulnerable people with access to tools and resources that help them develop important life skills is vital to allowing them to live fuller, more independent lives. This is what drives everything we do at AutonoMe and this capital injection, provided by investors who understand what we want to achieve and help us get there, will allow us to expand our support to even more vulnerable people across different services, helping them to live more freely, gain employment and develop and grow as people.”

Jari Moate, Investment Manager of City Funds at Bristol & Bath Regional Capital, said: “What’s impressive about AutonoMe is their commitment to use technology to increase independent living, rather than build a reliance on the tool itself. This ongoing effect is many times more impactful than a one-time intervention, and will positively change Bristol far beyond the lifetime of our investment—exactly the type of thing our impact fund seeks to support.”

Kristina Pereckaite, MD at South East Angels, said: “The social care sector is ripe for innovation, and we were really impressed with the simple yet highly effective solution that AutonoMe provides. We believe AutonoMe will execute and move quickly and are thrilled to be supporting William on his mission to improve the lives of vulnerable people.”

Jerry Barnes, founder of Bristol Private Equity Club said: “Our members first saw the potential of AutonoMe in 2018 when we invested in the company to support bringing in skilled staff and improving the technology. Our belief and commitment in the work of Will Britton and his team has grown further since then and we are delighted to be part of this funding round and join with others to further support this technology.”