Alchera Technologies secures £2.7M for AI transport platform
The company's technology helps local authorities analyse transport data for planning and investment decisions.
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Alchera Technologies has raised £2.7 million in seed funding to accelerate the development of its artificial intelligence platform. The Cambridge-based company's software aims to help highways operators and local authorities analyse transport data more efficiently, enabling faster decision-making. The funding round saw £2 million led by Maven Capital Partners, with an additional £700,000 provided by Innovate UK through its Investor Partnerships programme. Existing investor Cambridge Applied Research also participated.
How the AI platform works
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The Alchera platform combines various data sources, including bus locations, traffic signal status, and vehicle movements, alongside contextual information such as weather and air quality. Proprietary machine learning algorithms then process this combined data to identify patterns, highlight performance issues, and forecast future outcomes. The company states that its technology can reduce the time required for transport data analysis from weeks to mere seconds, presenting results through dashboards and application programming interfaces.
Applications for local authorities
Local authority transport planners, bus teams, and roadworks management departments utilise Alchera's software for several key functions. These include supporting roadworks planning, assessing bus performance, conducting traffic analysis, and enhancing network resilience. For instance, on the M25, the platform provides traffic flow predictions up to 24 months in advance to assist with scheduling roadworks. In Lancashire, the system analyses over 300 junctions and 85,000 network links to pinpoint issues within the bus network, help prioritise investment, and evaluate the effectiveness of implemented improvements.
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We’ve seen how when you put that data together, you’re no longer making decisions on instinct and incomplete data but with the full picture instead.
Anna Jordan, Alchera co-founder and chief executive
Anna Jordan, Alchera's co-founder and chief executive, explained that the platform enables decisions to be made with a complete dataset rather than relying on instinct or partial information. She stated this approach has tangible real-world benefits, such as minimising disruption from roadworks and creating more robust networks, ultimately making transport infrastructure more reliable and affordable for all users.
Rafi Khan, investment manager at Maven Capital Partners, commented that transport and infrastructure operators possess significant data but often lack the necessary tools for rapid, confident decision-making. He noted that Alchera has developed a distinct AI platform that directly addresses this market gap, with demonstrated results for its clients. Maven Capital Partners expressed enthusiasm for supporting Alchera's growth.
What happens next
The newly secured seed funding will be used by Alchera Technologies to accelerate the development and scaling of its AI platform. The company intends to expand its reach and capabilities within the transport and infrastructure sectors.
Questions this report answers
+How much funding has Alchera Technologies received?
Alchera Technologies has secured £2.7 million in seed funding. This total includes £2 million led by Maven Capital Partners and £700,000 from Innovate UK.
+What does Alchera's AI platform do?
The platform combines various data sources, such as bus locations and traffic data, to identify patterns and forecast outcomes in transport networks. It helps local authorities analyse data more quickly for planning and decision-making.
+How is Alchera's technology used by local authorities?
Local authorities use the platform for roadworks planning, bus performance assessments, and traffic analysis. It can predict traffic flows up to 24 months in advance for roadworks scheduling and help prioritise investment in bus networks.
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