2. Sensat

Founder: James Dean
Founded: 2017
Website: sensat.co

It all started when Sensat founder James Dean bought a toy drone for Christmas in 2015.

“I was enamoured by its bird’s eye view of the world,” Dean recalls. “I started to think about building a system that could map the real world from above and turn it into something understandable to AI.

“I realised all this digital mapping was pointless if no one could use it. We needed to build the platform to actually be able to work with the data.”

Digital mapping is pointless if no one can use it. We needed to build the platform to actually be able to work with the data.

And that’s Sensat’s USP right there. The company’s technology system allows users to stream these colossal amounts of data over the web, so that your computer can count how many cars or trees there are on a vast site in a second. Can you hear that sound? It’s the world’s project managers, engineers, asset owners, contractors and every other civil infrastructure industry employee whooping with joy.

Sensat combines all project data in one visualisation and collaboration environment to reduce risk – and therefore increase progress and profitability – across the lifecycle of an asset. This means that project managers can track timelines, coordinate tasks and organise workflows. Engineers and designers can assess design clashes, environment measurements and lines of sight, all while working offsite.

Sensat's impressive client roster includes HS2, Millbrook Test Track, and the UK Atomic Authority

Today, over $150bn of infrastructure is planned, built and managed through Sensat around the globe. Plus, its impressive client roster includes HS2, Millbrook Test Track, and the UK Atomic Authority.

However, while infrastructure is crucial for the world we live in, it’s also one of the most environmentally damaging industries globally. Sensat’s mission is to automate the way infrastructure is planned to ensure sustainability is a key feature of the build process.

What our judges really loved was how purpose and meaning matter to the company. “Fostering a hybrid working environment and four-day week has proven an essential condition for our team to thrive,” founder Dean emphasises.

Most recently, the company featured in Newsweek’s top 100 companies to work for in the UK. Plus, as a registered B-Corp, the firm contributes 1% of its revenues (plus time and technology) towards tackling the planet’s most pressing environmental issues. “We care, and that’s good business,” Dean insists.

So what’s next on Sensat’s roadmap? The company has set its sights high, aiming to be the OS platform and AI used in over 80% of the industrial systems on the planet – everything from airlines to shipping to sports entertainment.

It would seem the internet-industrial revolution is coming. Sensat – number 2 on the Startups 100 for 2023 – is reconstructing the construction industry.