The National Wealth Fund announced a £25 million investment in Rowden, marking the fund’s first direct investment supporting defense, national security, and resilience. The financing will support the expansion of the company’s manufacturing footprint, fund two new sites in the Southwest and West Midlands, and accelerate exports of UK-developed sensing and information systems.
The investment is expected to support the creation of 100 jobs over the next 12 months, with plans for 500 new roles by 2032 as Rowden scales operations to meet growing demand from UK and international customers. The Bristol-based engineering company designs and builds sensing and information systems for customers, including the UK Ministry of Defence and emergency services.
The National Wealth Fund said strengthening sovereign and strategic capabilities is one of its core ambitions, focusing on investments that help build, scale, and retain critical technologies within the UK while reinforcing domestic supply chains and long-term national resilience.
The financing will support the next phase of Rowden’s growth as the company increases production of deployable systems designed for edge environments where connectivity is degraded, decisions are time-critical, and reliable operation under pressure is essential. The expansion will also include the development of a new advanced test and evaluation facility in the West Midlands to establish a world-class UK capability in edge technologies.
Founded by CEO Rob Harper, Rowden currently employs 160 highly skilled workers and has become one of the fastest-growing engineering companies in Europe. Harper joined the British Army at age 16 and was later awarded an MBE for work in counter-terrorism. The company was bootstrapped to its current scale before securing an investment from the National Wealth Fund.
Rowden works with several UK government customers, including the British Army, Cyber and Special Operations Command, and Scottish Fire and Rescue. The company also exports technology internationally and contributes to programs including Human Machine Teaming, ASGARD, and the AUKUS AI for Acoustics program.
The National Wealth Fund said defense will remain a strategic area of focus as it looks to support high-growth projects and businesses across supply chains, dual-use technologies, and enabling infrastructure.
KEY QUOTES:
“Rowden is exactly the kind of British engineering company we want to back – innovative, veteran-founded and delivering for our national security. The National Wealth Fund’s investment will help scale world-class sensing and information systems, creating hundreds of high-skilled jobs across the Southwest and West Midlands, and strengthening the industrial foundations that our Armed Forces depend on. Defence is an engine for growth, and this is what it looks like in practice.”
Luke Pollard MP, Minister For Defence Readiness And Industry
“Rowden was founded on the belief that the UK is a place where enduring engineering companies can be built, delivering impact for national resilience, economic growth and skills. We chose to partner with the National Wealth Fund because of the direct alignment with our mission and their mandate. The National Wealth Fund is uniquely set up to support ambitious UK companies operating in critical industries, given their long-term investment horizon and commitment to strengthening sovereign capability. They are long on the UK as a place to build world-class engineering companies.”
Rob Harper, CEO And Founder Of Rowden
“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.”
Oliver Holbourn, CEO Of The National Wealth Fund
