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Hospitality and roboticsKaikaku.AI

Robotics in hospitality, on a solid legal footing

Fantastic on our commercial property lease negotiation. Quick replies, proactive reviews, and a fraction of the cost of typical firms.

Ivan TregearFounder, Kaikaku.AI

Matters to date

4

on the Launch plan, in its first six months; the kind of matters that stall a launch if they drift

What it would have cost

£11,500

at typical hourly rates for this work

Saved

£9,000

about 80%, against £2,300 paid over six months

When it mattered

Site legals for a London hospitality unit from heads of terms to lease, renegotiation when the numbers moved, a surrender strategy when the plan changed, and a UK visa sponsorship licence.

Where the pressure is

A hospitality start-up built around robotics lives in leased space, and the lease is the first big legal commitment and the least understood: rent, break clauses, repairing obligations, landlord consent for the fit-out. Get it wrong and capital is locked into a site before the concept is proven. Then, the moment the team grows beyond the founders, hiring the engineers it needs means a Home Office sponsor licence.

What we did

The early matters, four in the first half-year, were all the kind that stall a launch if they drift.

  • Site legals for a London hospitality unit, from heads of terms to lease
  • Renegotiation of the lease terms when the numbers moved
  • A strategy for early termination and surrender when the plan changed
  • Setting up a UK visa sponsorship licence so they could hire from abroad

Savings are estimates and every figure is shown per year. Matter counts come from our case system in September 2026 and are annualised where a client has been with us for less or more than a year. The hourly-rate figures apply typical UK commercial firm fees for SME work to those matters (for example £1,200 to £2,500 for a contract review, £900 to £2,000 for an employment matter, £300 to £600 for a short advice query, £1,500 to £3,000 for a compliance review and £2,500 to £5,000 for a commercial lease). Plan figures are the published price of the plan the client is on. Each client has approved the use of their name.

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Willem van der Merwe

Co-Founder

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