Latest news
23 January 2025
Investment: StormHarvester
Investment Type: Growth Capital
Investment Amount: £3.75m
Sector: B2B Enterprise Technology
Pollution caused by sewage seeping into our seas and rivers has long been a matter of public and governmental concern.
There is increasing pressure on water companies to limit sewage pollution by preventing leaks and blockages in the sewage network.
In England, for example, caps on financial penalties for polluting water companies have been lifted. Companies now face unlimited civil penalties across an expanded range of offences. Added to this, water industry regulator Ofwat has been given increased power to ensure water company dividends are linked to environmental performance.
In response, firms are now prioritising proactive work to fix issues before they arise – and they need help to do so. Coming to their aid is new YFM investee business, StormHarvester – a leading smart drainage company that uses AI to help wastewater utilities manage their networks better.
Headquartered in Belfast, Northern Ireland, StormHarvester launched its automated water management software platform in 2016. The SaaS platform harnesses AI analytics to aid the prevention of avoidable flooding and pollution through blockage and leak detection.
Since the launch of the platform, StormHarvester has experienced significant growth and now has partners in over 20 countries. With a £3.75m growth capital investment from YFM, part of a £7.8m total round alongside existing investors, the business is set for further expansion, leveraging its key strengths.
Pioneering spirit
StormHarvester is the brainchild of CEO and Founder, Brian Moloney – a civil engineer who developed the product concept to address a lack of innovation in the operation of drainage networks. Brian worked with Queen’s University Belfast to develop a prototype platform, before launching it to market.
Today, StormHarvester’s unique machine learning algorithm is being used by wastewater utilities right across the UK to predict sewer blockages and detect anomalies in sewer flows and levels.
The StormHarvester software ingests multiple data sets from over 81,000 battery-operated sensors already placed in wastewater pipes, and 3,000 in pumping stations. StormHarvester analyses the data using regression-based machine learning and draws in third party data such as local rainfall forecasting to provide a more accurate picture of current network load. This ‘clean data’ enables AI predictions for preventative actions and water companies to meet their regulatory reporting requirements.
Driven by a sense of purpose
With YFM’s backing, StormHarvester intends to take its pioneering technology to new territories, helping to improve wastewater utilities management on a global scale.
Urbanisation, climate change and population growth are putting a huge strain on water supply systems, and this is resulting in increased threats of flooding and pollution. StormHarvester’s AI solution is helping to tackle these problems, predicting and preventing issues before they even happen. The business has a vital mission to protect the environment and each member of the StormHarvester team is driven by this.
A clear growth plan
Having been the first to market in the UK, and underpinned by innovation, the StormHarvester team has carved out a dominant position, expanding to meet ever growing demand from the utilities sector. Now, YFM’s investment will be used to grow StormHarvester’s international sales and marketing capabilities, with an initial focus on Australia, followed by the USA and Canada. The capital injection will also support further product development – catalysing StormHarvester’s scale-up, as it seeks to better wastewater management on new continents.