Infrastructure Revolution: Sensat Secures £3m from Mercia Ventures to Fuel Global Digital Twin and Geospatial AI Expansion
LONDON, UK – May 18, 2026 – Sensat, a geospatial AI business that powers advanced and highly functional digital twins transforming civil infrastructure, has closed a £3 million strategic investment round led by Mercia Ventures, with continued participation from existing investor National Grid Partners.
This capital infusion marks a new era for Sensat, following a 24-month operational transformation that has positioned the company as a disciplined, mission-critical partner for the world’s largest infrastructure owners. The funding will be used to significantly expand Sensat's UK operations, establish its first North American office, and accelerate the development of a pioneering new category of Agentic Geospatial AI.
Pioneering Agentic Architecture and Spatially Aware AI
Sensat is moving beyond data visualisation to develop bleeding-edge Geospatial AI. The company is building specialised AI Agents on an agentic architecture, allowing users to query vast, complex infrastructure data in natural language. This innovation makes digital twins inherently intelligent and spatially aware, capable of automating complex, multi-stage processes, enabling faster, de-risked decision-making on multi-billion pound projects.
Harry Atkinson, Co-Founder of Sensat, commented: "This investment is a key moment as we transition into a mission-critical partner for the infrastructure sector. We are now moving beyond simple data representation to provide customers with the ability to automate decision-making. The industry currently uses digital twins just to see their data. We are moving beyond that. By integrating agentic spatial AI, we are enabling our users to identify risks before they happen and assess the 'what-if' scenarios in hours rather than weeks. We move project teams from “I think” to “I can see,” allowing them to make critical decisions with confidence and speed."
He added: "Seeing a partner like National Grid estimate $1bn in savings through the use of our platform is the ultimate validation of our focus. This investment allows us to take that proven impact and replicate it across the most complex infrastructure projects in the world."
Global Expansion to Meet Urgent Infrastructure Demand
Sensat is strengthening its UK commitment with a new regional office in Milton Keynes, strategically placed in the UK’s technology corridor. This hub will support critical national infrastructure and energy transition projects, where improved visibility and collaboration are essential for managing complex, multi-stakeholder delivery programmes.
Simultaneously, Sensat is aggressively targeting the North American market to meet the urgent demand for infrastructure modernisation and energy transition projects.
"The scale of the energy transition in North America is staggering, but the infrastructure delivery is often held back by legacy processes," Harry continued. "We’ve seen in the UK that digitalisation is the only way to meet these aggressive timelines. Our goal in the US is to help utility providers bypass the traditional 'delivery gap' and get critical infrastructure online years faster than previously possible."
Strategic Backing from a Sector Expert
Howard Mitchell, Investment Director at Mercia Ventures, a leading UK thematic investment firm, led the round. His rationale focused on Sensat's ability to address a growing global need for efficiency and value for money in construction and infrastructure delivery.
“Construction and infrastructure markets continue to grow at pace,” said Howard Mitchell. “With that scale of investment comes increasing scrutiny on cost, productivity and delivery outcomes. Owners and contractors alike are looking for better ways to plan, manage and de-risk complex projects, and digital tools that drive efficiency are no longer optional.”
Mitchell highlighted the global relevance of Sensat's solution: “These pressures are global. Infrastructure owners around the world are grappling with the same issues of capital efficiency, schedule certainty and performance. What attracted us to Sensat is that their solution is highly relevant internationally, and the team is already building strong momentum beyond the UK, particularly in the United States.”
“At Mercia, we love working with strong entrepreneurial teams who are deeply passionate about making things better for their customers. The Sensat team has a clear vision, a relentless focus on customer value and the ambition to build a category leading business. That combination is what enables sustainable, high growth companies.”
Driving the Digital Layer of Global Infrastructure
By solving the fundamental data challenges inherent in the electricity, water, and transport sectors, Sensat is establishing itself as the essential digital layer for the world’s most ambitious infrastructure projects. This strategic investment provides the foundation for Sensat to capture an increasing share of the global infrastructure market, driving unprecedented efficiency.
About Sensat
Sensat is a geospatial AI business that powers advanced and highly functional digital twins designed to de-risk the delivery and operation of the world’s most complex civil infrastructure. By creating a spatially aware AI for physical projects, Sensat enables infrastructure owners and contractors in the electricity, water, and transport sectors to make faster, data-driven decisions.
Following a strategic 24-month operational transformation, Sensat has evolved into a mission-critical partner for global utility providers, including National Grid, Avangrid, and SPEN. Its latest developments in agentic AI and intelligent digital twins are projected to save infrastructure leaders billions of pounds in delivery costs over the coming decade. Sensat is headquartered in London with offices in Milton Keynes and Massachusetts, USA.
For more information, visit www.sensat.com.
About Mercia Ventures
Mercia Ventures is a leading UK thematic investment firm that provides capital and support to high-growth businesses. As one of the UK’s most active venture capital investors, Mercia focuses on supporting ambitious teams across the UK’s regions.
With a portfolio of over 400 companies, Mercia Ventures provides the expertise and network required to scale domestic innovations into global leaders. The firm’s investment in Sensat was led by Howard Mitchell, former Innovation Director for major infrastructure projects, reflecting Mercia’s commitment to backing the digital transformation of critical national infrastructure.
For more information, visit www.mercia.co.uk.