Kinewell, a Newcastle-based developer of AI-powered SaaS for offshore wind farm design, has raised £750,000 ($1M) in pre-seed funding led by North East Accelerate Fund. The software optimizes inter-array cables, turbine layouts, and export systems to cut costs for fixed and floating projects. The capital unlocks over £1M total funding including grants to create 10 new jobs and accelerate technology and commercial growth.
UK Auctions Fuel Optimization Demand
The raise aligns with UK securing 8.4GW in AR7 auctions at £89.49/MWh. Vind AI raised €3M for broader renewables design while Aegir Insights secured €8.5M Series A for market analytics. Kinewell targets offshore cable and layout specifics, delivering 20% CAPEX savings on cables amid floating wind expansion.
Cable Costs Burden Farm Economics
Offshore wind developers face high CAPEX from inter-array cables and suboptimal layouts, with seabed surveys costing ~£8M for 1GW farms. Traditional methods take months for scenarios now computable in minutes. Kinewell's probabilistic heatmapping de-risks substation placement and reduces survey needs.
AI Suite Slashes Design Time
Kinewell's KLOC optimizes cable layouts minimizing CAPEX and losses, KDOTS handles export systems, and KWOTA arranges wake-optimized turbines. Integrated ForeCoast Marine aids construction planning. As Evolv Energies noted after selecting KLOC:
"KLOC gives us a real competitive advantage. We can optimise complex cable layouts in minutes rather than weeks."
This enables rapid iterations trusted by Equinor and SSE Renewables on global projects.
Regional Fund Signals Confidence
North East Accelerate Fund, managed by Mercia Ventures, made Kinewell its first investment despite the company's prior bootstrapped success including King's Award for Enterprise 2025. The equity unlocks grants, validating Kinewell's path from Newcastle University spin-out to 15+ industry leaders. Chris McCourt of Mercia highlighted:
"Kinewell has achieved remarkable success despite limited investment to date."
It positions the firm for US, Europe, and Asia scaling.
Offshore Market Scales Rapidly
Global offshore wind stands at $39.97B in 2024, projected to reach $65.04B by 2030 at 8.9% CAGR. Another estimate pegs $56B in 2024 growing to $299B by 2034. Policy tailwinds like UK tariff removals on 33 wind goods from April 2026 cut supply chain costs, boosting demand for LCoE reducers like Kinewell.
Spin-Out Team Drives Innovation
CEO Dr. Andrew Jenkins pioneered KLOC during 12+ years at Newcastle University, spinning out Kinewell in 2015. CTO Dr. Henna Bains' PhD on offshore transmission uncertainty powers KDOTS. CCO Tony Appleton brings 32+ years and experience on 55+ wind farms, recently appointed to bridge tech to markets.
Jobs and Floating Wind Push
Kinewell plans 10 new hires over six months to double its ~12-person team, focusing on commercial expansion and R&D like recent KOMET mooring tool for floating wind. Recent wins include Evolv Energies selection and Equinor award shortlist, with £2.4M OWGP funding supporting innovation.