Kinewell secures £750,000 growth funding

A North East clean technology company is set to accelerate its growth after securing investment to expand software designed to optimise offshore wind farm development.

Kinewell, based in Wallsend, has raised £750,000 in the first deal completed by the North East Accelerate Fund, which is managed by Mercia Ventures. 

The funding will unlock an additional six-figure grant award, taking the total secured to more than £1 million.

Founded by engineer Andrew Jenkins while studying for a PhD at Newcastle University, Kinewell develops software that helps offshore wind developers optimise complex infrastructure design. 

Its original product, launched in 2015, focuses on designing cable layouts for wind farms.

Using artificial intelligence, supercomputing power and advanced algorithms, the technology can analyse millions of potential configurations in minutes to identify the most efficient materials and layouts. 

The system typically reduces cabling costs by around 20 per cent while cutting months from project development times.

Kinewell, which works with major international energy companies such as Equinor, SSE Renewables, Parkwind and Eurus Energy, has since expanded its platform to include tools for turbine layout and transmission system design.

Its latest software integrates these elements to assess the interaction between cabling, turbine and transmission systems, helping developers reduce the overall cost of offshore wind farms.

Andrew says the investment will support further technology development and commercialisation while enabling the company to almost double its current workforce of 12 within six months through the creation of ten new jobs.

He said: “Offshore wind is an ideal way to decarbonise our energy supply and improve energy security. 

“Our goal is to bring down costs and reduce the time it takes to develop new wind farms, which in turn will make wind energy more attractive and help unlock further investment into the industry. 

“Kinewell’s solutions have already helped some of the world’s largest renewable energy producers significantly reduce lead times and save hundreds of millions of pounds. 

“This funding will help us build on that success.” 

The North East Accelerate Fund, established by The North East Fund with support from the North East Combined Authority, provides investment of up to £1 million to early-stage businesses across the region, helping innovative companies scale and access global markets.  

Chris McCourt, of Mercia Ventures, added: “Kinewell has achieved remarkable success despite limited investment to date.

“With offshore wind entering a new growth phase, it is well positioned to capitalise on this. 

“This investment will help unleash its potential and secure its position as the leading software of its type for the industry.” 

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