Start-up uses state support to attract specialists and create a unique unmanned ground platform

Latvian start-up NATRIX has brought a unique unmanned ground platform to the market. While the mobile platform was primarily developed for delivering ammunition, equipment and food in military conflict zones, its range of applicability is, in fact, much broader. Thanks to its dual use properties the platform can also be used for commercial purposes and in precarious locations, such as in fire-fighting or border guard missions.

The NATRIX platform is a remote-operated robot which can be fully adapted for various tasks. It was initially developed for rescue missions on the front lines and for delivering food and ammunition, however, the developers soon realised it had a much broader range of applicability also in the civilian sector. Today the NATRIX platform is already actively being used in military operations in Ukraine where it has demonstrated its reliability and high performance in combat conditions. The company has launched industrial production and is ready to offer this innovative product throughout the EU and NATO.

The platform is low and compact allowing it to move around undetected. It can carry loads of up to 200 kg and can also be equipped with a NATO standard stretcher for transporting the wounded to safe evacuation locations. In addition, the platform can also be equipped with various cameras and communication rebroadcast systems making it an ideal tool for intelligence and surveillance operations. Furthermore, the NATRIX platform can be equipped with remote-operated weapons systems for various combat support operations.

To create and develop the product, NATRIX applied to the Start-up Support Programme of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) which helped co-finance salaries for highly-skilled specialists. “This support allowed us to bring in excellent mechanical and software engineers, as well as other experts who transformed the idea for the platform into a functioning product,” Kristaps Puķe, CEO of NATRIX, explains. 

“This type of funding is crucial for start-ups as experienced top-tier specialists are usually already employed at other companies and it would be difficult to motivate them to join a brand new project starting “from scratch”. Co-financing for salaries for highly-skilled employees allows you to compete with large-scale companies.”

The company is gradually increasing its production capacity: while it plans to manufacture 60-100 robots this year, it has set an ambitious goal for the future – to become the leading unmanned ground system manufacturer in Europe. Even though similar solutions are available on the market, NATRIX is distinguished by its power, compact design, high durability and simple integration with various technologies making it a versatile and effective solution.

The Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) offers a support programme for start-ups to cover salaries for highly-skilled workers. The total amount of available financing is EUR 2.6 million. So far, LIAA has approved applications from six start-ups providing support worth a total of EUR 525,451. Support has been provided to innovative Latvian companies implementing various innovation-related projects. For example, these companies are creating new audio technology solutions, an electronic control system for a four-wheel scooter with a cargo compartment, a self-service solutions, a payment processing platform, a logistics platform etc. The Startup Support Programme is open to any start-up planning to develop an innovative product and meeting the criteria for support. Applications can be submitted via the e-service at business.gov.lv.

This article has been produced with financial support from the European Regional Development Fund.