AI spin-out maps path to growth with funding boost

A Sheffield technology spin-out has secured £140,000 in early-stage funding to develop an AI-powered platform designed to accelerate the planning of major infrastructure projects.

RunPilot, developed at the University of Sheffield by PhD researchers Joseph Hammond and Dr Thomas Cowley, aims to make early-stage infrastructure planning faster and more efficient.

Its software models and optimises multiple potential infrastructure routes while considering environmental, technical and societal factors, including consent risks.

By allowing different options to be tested and refined in real time, the platform is designed to shorten planning programmes, reduce risk and avoid costly redesign work.

RunPilot secured the six-figure investment following a pitch to the University board, having developed its proposition with academics, policymakers and industry partners, alongside technical brand specialist The Engine Room.

Joseph and Thomas say the funding will support further product development, technical recruitment and commercial growth.

Orderly chief executive Peter Evans has also joined as a strategic adviser, with a sales director appointment planned and workspace in Sheffield’s Innovation Spine district under consideration.

Joseph said: “Early stage infrastructure planning is currently slow, high-risk, and prone to costly redesigns. 

“But to meet the industry’s net-zero targets, better technology alone is not enough – we need faster delivery too.

“RunPilot has the potential to become the ‘second brain’ for infrastructure. 

“It’s been five years in the making and we are very proud of our academic roots. 

“But for a deep tech university spin out like ours to be taken seriously, we needed a clearer, more commercially astute identity. 

“Our work with The Engine Room transitioned us from a credible research venture to a market-ready technology brand capable of scale – this type of strategic project is a critical pre-requisite for start-ups before funding pitches.”

RunPilot is now looking overseas after being selected for the six-company cohort of US-based Joules Accelerator, which supports advanced grid technologies.

It is one of only four British businesses to have been selected for the programme, securing its place from more than 100 global applicants.

The technology combines human expertise with AI to help infrastructure planners navigate complex early-stage decisions.

Its development also aligns with the Government’s ambition to halve the time required to build electricity transmission infrastructure from 14 years to seven.

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