Saudi-based startup NOMADD has closed a Series A round of $1 million.

NOMADD, which stands for ‘no water mechanical automated dusting device’, closed the round from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology’s (KAUST) Innovation Fund.

Founded in 2012 by Georg Eitelhuber, NOMADD is a system designed for desert conditions to clean the dust off solar panels, dust that usually massively reduces efficiency. 

According to a statement they are looking to use the money to continue to establish their footprint in Saudi Arabia. They also will look to make more engineering and sales team hires, plus an outsourcing of specific aspects. They will also carry out testing activities with potential customers. According to Eitelhuber in an email to Wamda they will be looking to scale out of Saudi in the near future. 

"NOMADD's dust mitigation technology will help make solar energy viable in the GCC region - one of the major global markets for solar energy in the coming decades. We are grateful for the vote of confidence that this funding represents and look forward to further commercialization," said CEO Jos van der Hyden in a statement.

According to Nicola Bettio, manager of the KAUST Innovation Fund, the funding is the first in a series of tech-based investments. In June last year KAUST announced it would dedicate $2 million to high-tech startups via the fund.