Coffee Service

Unity Coffee closes funding to develop automated retail platform

Adobe Stock

April 22, 2026

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U.K.-based Unity Coffee, founded by former Costa and Coffee Nation executive Scott Martin, has raised $2.7 million in a second funding round following pilot tests in London, according to a Retail Technology Innovation Hub report, bringing its total funding to $4 million.

The company is developing an automated retail platform that combines connected coffee machines with app-based ordering, payments and real-time loyalty features. The funding will support a planned rollout of more than 500 machines over the next 12 months in high-traffic locations such as gyms, hotels, flexible workspaces and fuel stations.

The investment round includes backing from industry players such as angel investor Warren Johnson. Martin said the company aims to challenge traditional coffee pricing models by offering barista-quality drinks at lower prices through a digitally driven platform. The expansion represents the first phase of a broader strategy to scale both hardware and software capabilities as Unity Coffee builds out its automated retail ecosystem.