PORT raises €14.5 million to build AI delivery robots in UK
London startup PORT has secured €14.5 million, led by EBRD and Balnord, to train its AI Driver and launch autonomous delivery robots from its UK microhub network.
SUMO· the number puzzle
Dialo· learn languages by speaking
ediviewer· read EDI files like documents
giftdetect· the right gift in minutesLondon-based startup PORT has raised €14.5 million to develop its proprietary AI Driver and autonomous delivery vehicles. The round was led by EBRD and Balnord, with participation from existing and new investors. Earlier pre-Seed and Seed rounds brought in another €14.5 million, taking total funding to €29 million.
Founded in 2020, PORT turns underused city spaces into electric vehicle hubs. It runs 24 microhubs across London, Manchester and Birmingham, in underground car parks, warehouse space and railway arches, covering 52,000 sq ft. More than 50,000 couriers use its e-bike subscription service, which keeps bikes stored, charged and ready near delivery hotspots.
Courier data trains the robots
A portion of PORT's 3,500 e-bikes now carries NVIDIA-powered cameras and lidar that capture real delivery data on London's streets. Because the bikes already work daily shifts, each newly fitted bike contributes data from its first run, so no separate test fleet is needed. PORT filters the footage for situations that matter, from kerbs and cyclists to rare edge cases, and uploads it over each hub's fibre connection. The data trains an AI Driver built specifically for urban delivery.
"Robotised logistics does not start with the robot; it starts with the infrastructure, operations and data," said founder and CEO Kamil Suda.
The hub network matters because robots must be stored, loaded and charged within a few miles of the drop-off address. In London, PORT says it covers 92% of the area within a mile of the Congestion Charge Zone and 60% within two miles across inner London.
What comes next
PORT is preparing a new robotic delivery system in partnership with Royal Mail. Before the end of 2026 it will open a micro-hub in central Paris, its first outside the UK. PORT cargo bikes have so far delivered more than 300,000 parcels, with emissions reportedly about 90% lower than a diesel van.
EBRD's Ervin Luga said the missing real-world data layer has been a limitation for driverless delivery, and that PORT is actively building it.
Apps worth a look
SUMO: the number puzzleTap the right tiles, add them up, hit the target. Easy to learn, hard to master. Free, for all ages.
Dialo: learn languages by speakingTalk to an AI conversation partner; every sentence comes back corrected and explained in your language. 9 languages, A1 to C2.
ediviewer: read EDI files like documentsOpen EDIFACT and X12 messages, see every segment explained, convert to JSON/XML, export PDF and Excel. Runs locally, no upload.
giftdetect: the right gift in minutesPick who it is for, the occasion and their personality. The search engine reads product descriptions from local shops and ranks what fits. Free, no sign-up.
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