Inspired by a game: Danish robot startup aims to solve a growing problem for small and medium-sized businesses
Today, warehouse automation is primarily accessible to industrial giants. However, two experienced entrepreneurs from Jutland are determined to change this by creating a more modular, scalable solution for warehouse automation. Now they have secured a spot in Danish Technological Institute’s robot incubator through the Odense Robotics StartUp Fund.
A simple puzzle, where pieces are moved around using a single empty space on a board.
Inspiration came as a surprise for e-commerce specialist Tommy Bjørbæk and software/system integrator Morten Bitsch when they got the idea for a new warehouse automation system.
Now the concept has earned them a ticket to Odense Robotics StartUp Fund, which provides robot and drone startups from Denmark and abroad with access to soft funding, mentors and a dedicated incubator environment at the Danish Technological Institute in Odense.
“We saw a gap in the market. Currently, warehouse automation caters mainly to large players, while small- and medium-sized warehouses struggle with solutions that lack adaptability. Our goal is to create a system that occupies only 50 percent of a traditional warehouse’s space and can be scaled and relocated as businesses outgrow their existing premises,” says Morten Bitsch, CEO and co-founder of Kasparium.
Experienced duo
Kasparium, which is targeting a scalable market with significant growth rates, boasts an experienced duo at the helm.
In 2015, Tommy Bjørbæk established a successful third-party logistics warehouse that had to change locations multiple times as the business continued to expand.
“Later, I reflected on what system would have been perfect while my company was growing, while we were still small, and while we moved from one location to another. The conclusion was a modular warehouse automation system that could seamlessly adapt to our dynamic business needs,” says Tommy Bjørbæk, co-founder of Kasparium.
Along the way, he crossed paths with Morten Bitsch, whose expertise lies in software development and strategic leadership. Together, they decided to combine their experience, knowledge and skills to launch a company aimed at addressing a new segment of the warehouse and logistics market.
Danish robot fund and incubator offer “abundant opportunities”
The dream to create a modular, space-saving system composed of shelving units that adjust as needed is now set to become a reality within the Odense Robotics StartUp Fund and the incubator at Danish Technological Institute.
Here, the two founders and the rest of their team will benefit from top-notch facilities, expertise and access to an extensive network.
“We applied for admission to the Odense Robotics StartUp Fund and the incubator at the Danish Technological Institute because we saw that it could offer us numerous opportunities. We recognised its potential to assist us in hardware development, software development and overall business modelling – leveraging a wide range of competencies that the people here excel in,” says Morten Bitsch.
Through the Odense Robotics StartUp Fund, entrepreneurs are also matched with influential mentors from Denmark’s robotics industry. These mentors include names such as Enrico Krog Iversen, CEO of OnRobot, Niels Jul Jacobsen, CEO of Capra Robotics, and Thomas Visti, serial investor, former CCO of Universal Robots and former CEO of Mobile Industrial Robots, and now panelist on the TV show “The Lion’s Den” on DR.
About the warehouse automation market
The global warehouse automation market is estimated to be over DKK 160 billion in 2023. It is expected to grow by approximately 15 percent in the coming years, reaching a size of over 285 billion Danish kroner by 2027
Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1094202/global-warehouse-automation-market-size/