- UK’s National Wealth Fund has invested £25 million in Bristol-based Rowden.
- The funding will support two new sites in the Southwest and West Midlands, while creating 100 jobs in the next year and 500 by 2032.
- Rowden is scaling exports of its UK-developed sensing, computing, and networking systems used by the British Army, emergency services, and overseas customers.
The UK government is doubling down on homegrown defence technology with a £25 million investment in Rowden. The funding, announced by the National Wealth Fund, marks its first direct investment focused on defence, national security, and resilience.
Founded in 2017 by CEO Rob Harper, Rowden has grown from a bootstrapped startup into a key supplier of mission-critical systems for defence and emergency response. Harper, who joined the British Army at 16 and later received an MBE for his work in counter-terrorism, built the company around the idea of creating resilient systems that can operate reliably in the world’s most demanding conditions.
“Rowden was founded on the belief that the UK can build world-class engineering companies that strengthen national resilience and economic growth. We partnered with the National Wealth Fund because of its long-term commitment to supporting ambitious UK businesses in critical industries and strengthening sovereign capability,” says Harper.
Today, Rowden employs around 160 highly skilled staff and operates more than 20,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space in Southwest England.
The company develops sensing, computing, and networking systems designed for “edge” environments, situations where communication networks are unreliable, decisions must be made instantly, and operational failure is not an option. Its systems are used by organisations including the British Army, Cyber and Special Operations Command, and Scottish Fire and Rescue.
Rowden is also involved in several major defence programmes, including Human Machine Teaming, ASGARD, and the AUKUS AI for Acoustics initiative.
The company competes with defence and security technology firms such as Anduril Industries, BAE Systems, and Palantir Technologies in areas spanning autonomous systems, battlefield intelligence, and mission-critical communications.
“Building and sustaining our sovereign capabilities is critical to the UK’s long-term security. With our backing, Rowden can accelerate its development of UK-built technologies for national resilience, while continuing to grow future talent here in the UK,” notes Oliver Holbourn, CEO of the National Wealth Fund.
“Rowden is the kind of innovative British engineering company we want to support. The National Wealth Fund’s investment will help scale advanced sensing and information systems, create hundreds of skilled jobs, and strengthen the industrial base supporting our Armed Forces. Defence is a driver of economic growth, and this investment shows that in action,” adds Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard MP.
The investment is also expected to create 100 jobs over the next 12 months, with longer-term plans to add around 500 new roles by 2032 as demand rises from both UK and international customers.
With fresh funding, expanding facilities, and growing export demand, Rowden is positioning itself as a major British player in next-generation defence engineering while helping the UK strengthen its sovereign technology capabilities.
