Cycling takes geospatial twist in accelerator

The inventor of a smart bike light that collects data about near miss hotspots is among the six startups in Geovation’s latest accelerator programme.

Welcoming innovations in both the geospatial and property spaces, the seventh Geovation accelerator programme, led by Ordnance Survey and HM Land Registry, has revealed this year’s cohort.

These six startups were chosen with the view of “developing innovative and sustainable solutions that can deliver significant impact and will aid in the recovery of the economy”.

The geospatial startups are:

BKwai

BKwai is a smart construction monitoring company that provides insights for engineers so that infrastructure works smarter, faster and safer. Built on research from the University of Cambridge, the startup streamlines pre-construction monitoring of sites with satellite data; uses machine learning and prediction to spot potential issues earlier and faster; and monitors existing assets for deterioration. See more at: https://www.bkwai.com/

Go Positive Group

A solar technology company that makes managing solar technologies a positive experience.

Pelation

A bike light that could change infrastructure planning. Pelation’s light – Rebo – attaches to a bike and allows the cyclist to capture video footage, location, plate numbers and more at the touch of a button. For users, it’s designed to reduce hazards and record incidents. For planners, the aggregated data Pelation collects can generate near miss hot spots and help them design safer places. Visit: https://www.pelation.co.uk

The property startups are:

DigiHome

An app to help homeowners organise and manage their homes. DigiHome will do everything from setting reminders to check a smoke alarm to guiding users through switching energy providers or finding gardeners. With its algorithms, the app can also work out the exact cost of running a home and recommend ways of reducing expenditures. Visit https://digihome.app/

NOCO Energy

Provides location-based intelligence for the renewable energy industry.

SearchLand

A map-based property and planning data web app for SME developers, planners, architects and investors to make informed property and land decisions. Users can quickly view land ownership data for more than 85% of UK land, search company ownership data and access instant price analysis in an area. The app also includes planning history analysis tools and map layers for hundreds of planning constraints across the UK to simplify cumbersome processes. See more at: https://searchland.co.uk/

The Geovation accelerator will support these startups over the next 12 months with expertise from OS and HMLR. Each business will receive up to £20,000 in grant funding, mentorship on business proposals and investor relationships and access to hub space at Geovation London and its partner sites.

Carly Morris, head of Geovation, said: “Geovation is a powerhouse of tools, resources and connections to help early-stage startups to flourish and grow. We support with every aspect of running a business, from negotiating your first commercial deal to pitching to investors. We can’t wait to welcome our six new startups to Geovation to see them evolve over the coming months.

Previous companies that have gone through the accelerator programme include ‘pay-as-you-fly’ drone insurance app Flock, real time transport infrastructure planning platform Podaris and public sector development management platform Renkap, which PlaceTech profiled earlier this year in an interview with founder Gonzalo Marquesini.

Andrew Trigg, director of digital, data and technology at HM Land Registry, said: “We are delighted to welcome the latest cohort to the programme. We’re now in our seventh cycle of the programme and I continue to be impressed at the level of creativity and imagination that continues to be demonstrated by each cohort. Our continued support of the accelerator programme allows us to work with this future generation of innovators and disruptors who have the potential to bring real change and a diversity of ideas to the property industry, benefitting the economy, the market and ultimately the consumer.”