Zimbabwean tech visionary William Sachiti, founder of Academy of Robotics, made history as the creator of the UK’s first Black-owned driverless vehicle company, pioneering innovation in autonomous technology and redefining representation in global tech.
London, UK – [October 05] — William Pasi Sachiti, a Zimbabwean-born entrepreneur and inventor, is pioneering autonomous transportation in the UK as the founder and CEO of Academy of Robotics, the country’s first Black-owned driverless car company. With its flagship vehicle Kar-go, the company is pushing boundaries in last-mile delivery and autonomous mobility, offering a glimpse into the future of logistics and robotics.
Sachiti has been working on this vision for years. The Academy of Robotics was founded in 2017 at Aberystwyth University, seeded by a £10,000 grant through the InvEnterPrize program. Early prototypes of Kar-go, a self-driving delivery bot, were developed in partnership with Pilgrim Motorsports, leading to the vehicle’s unveiling at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Since then, Academy of Robotics has collaborated with government agencies, secured regulatory approvals, and deployed Kar-go in trials delivering medical supplies, conducting remote road maintenance diagnostics, and partnering with the Royal Air Force.
“Kar-go isn’t just a vehicle,” says Sachiti. “It’s a solution aimed at making autonomous delivery safe, efficient, and accessible—even in environments without perfect infrastructure or clean urban layouts.” Looking ahead, Academy of Robotics is expanding its operations, scaling up production, refining AI systems for unstructured roads, and developing command hub infrastructure at its recently acquired former RAF base at Neatishead, which will serve as both testing ground and production base.
