Pest purger Spotta raises £3m to turbocharge global expansion

The funds will be used to drive the global growth of Spotta’s products, notably the breakout success of its Bed Pod detectors for bed bugs. Bed Pods fit under mattresses in hotel rooms and provide real-time data via automated alerts which inform the hotels and other establishments of the exact location of pests – including room number, time data and photo tracking. 

Existing investors Martlet, Wren Capital, Remus Capital, as well as business angels from Cambridge Angels and Cambridge Capital Group have invested in this round while Growthworks joins as a new investor. 

Founded in 2018, Spotta’s ultra-low-power insect monitoring sensors track pests continuously so customers can detect infestations early. The sensors detect insects in real time using machine learning/AI and can be installed wherever insect pests might be discovered – from hotel rooms to forests and deserts.

As featured in a recent Business Weekly case study, Spotta’s platform technology shows exactly when, where and what types of insects are active. This allows the right intervention, in the right place and at the right time, massively reducing the damage pests can do. Insect pests cost the economy around $570 billion a year by spreading diseases, killing crops and damaging businesses’ reputations around the world. Early detection allows organisations to take action to eradicate the problem before it becomes uncontrollable.  

The new investment comes after a period of unprecedented growth for Spotta this summer. Covid hit the hospitality industry hard but its recovery over the past two years, together with bed bug population growth, has led to a record year for Spotta with over 3 million room nights now protected. 

In addition to expansion in the hospitality sector, Spotta will use the funding to continue its international expansion in agriculture, forestry and horticulture. It is estimated that 40 per cent of global crop production is lost to pests and diseases. 

Spotta’s technology allows farmers to detect and prevent the outbreak of insects before they kill crops. It also reduces the need for pesticides, helping to improve productivity and reduce the environmental impact of crop farming.

Robert Fryers, CEO and co-founder of Spotta said: "The approach to insect detection has remained unchanged for decades. Infestations are found too late, after the damage is done. Spotta changes this. 

“The timing of our investment round coincided with the recent Paris bed bug infestation, which only reinforced the need for safe, effective and cost-efficient preventative measures like Spotta. This capital injection will be used to fuel our growth across the globe and to continue our expansion into new and exciting markets.” 

Tim Mills, Managing Partner, ACF Investors added: "The Spotta platform built by Robert, Neil and the team delivers a real solution which can completely turn the insect pest control industry on its head. With their smart 24/7 monitoring enabling customers to precision target treatment for the first time. It’s a solution that protects people and crops but also hugely reduces the cost and environmental impact of treatment.”