AirSensa

Idea

Introduction

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 7 million die prematurely every year because of air pollution, and according to the World Bank, it costs the global economy more than $5 trillion annually in social & welfare costs, including $225 billion in lost income alone.

Airsensa is creating a big data platform with a hyperlocal and real-time monitoring capability to help cities and individuals make informed decisions on the basis of AI and machine learning analysis. We have completed two successful projects in Manchester and Jersey which proved our model.

Intended impact

Air pollution is like a cancer on society, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths across Europe every year and preying on the most vulnerable. We have a unique approach to tackling it, because the solution starts with having better data - and we’ve proven our approach over the past several years. Better data can help city authorities to make effective interventions, help businesses to improve operations, and help citizens avoid the worst of pollution as they move around.

Our technology is also useful to understand the ramifications of the coronavirus. Medical research shows that people that are exposed to even tiny increases in air pollution may have a much higher chance of dying from Covid-19, and those that recover may be more vulnerable to air pollution because of damage to their lungs.

Millions of people across Europe may, therefore, become much more vulnerable to post-Covid complications. It is vital that we provide hyperlocal, real-time information to those people as well as the existing vulnerable groups - asthmatics, heart disease patients, the elderly, and those with young children.

After the pandemic, we will, therefore, need to redouble our efforts on pollution, but also on climate change. Over 60% of city pollution contributes to climate change; deeper and higher quality data and insights will help provide the products and solutions that will reduce it.

Substantial accomplishments to date

- Developed and tested the STORRM platform, and the knowhow needed to deploy the complete solution over a number of years.

- Ran a pilot in London which proved the value of hyperlocal and real-time data.

- Successful, continuous, and hyperlocal Manchester & Jersey exemplar projects proving the viability of the solution as well as the calibration system and capabilities of the in-house STORRM cloud platform.

- Covid-19 freemium app launching soon to aid research efforts & provide early revenue potential.

- Growing relationships in the USA, and the Middle East.

- Built a deployment strategy for rapid rollout working with corporate and channel partners such as the UN’s U4SSC program. Working closely with the UK Government's Department of International Trade, we secured a partnership with a major company in the GCC region, and have subsequently been invited to bid for a national monitoring solution for a significant country in the region.

Monetisation strategy

AirSensa’s backbone is the proprietary STORRM cloud software platform. STORRM delivers scalability, analytics, automation, event management, machine learning and security across the networks. This is technology that is unique to AirSensa.

Real-time, granular, and continuous external air pollution monitoring, initially in developed countries, is among the first very substantial IoT applications. Collecting validated commercial data on external air pollution will generate continually updating datasets of considerable value.

Proprietary data will be produced, analyzed, and delivered on local, national, and international scales. We plan to monetise this through Data Sales, Data Licensing Fees, Report Sales, Subscription Fees, and Ad Revenue through our freemium applications.

Use of proceeds

AirSensa is well placed to help deliver a better world. We need this investment to drive business development so that people understand what we have and why they should invest in our technology. In the next 12 months, we expect to be building out the business at very large scale, driven by a further capital injection from venture funds later in the year. This seed funding round enables us to get to that point.