Innovation only matters if it gets to market. You can have the most brilliant technical prototype in the world, but without a clear business model, a compelling pitch, and the confidence to stand in front of investors it stays a prototype.
That’s the gap the GeoAI Launchpad exists to close. And last week at SpaceComm Expo, we watched 7 teams prove it works.
The GeoAI Festival: What Started All of This
The GeoAI Festival is an initiative led by Innovate UK Business Connect (IUKBC) and DEFRA to drive the rapid development of commercial solutions using geospatial data and AI to tackle real-world environmental and agricultural challenges.
Think smarter food systems. Better land and ocean management. New finance models for nature restoration. All powered by Earth Observation data and AI.
It kicked off in January 2026 with a three-day hackathon delivered by the Satellite Applications Catapult and AWS. Twenty teams built technical prototypes across three Defra challenge areas:
- Sustainable & Resilient Agri-Food,
- Next-Gen Spatial Planning, and
- Nature-Based Market Initiatives.
The hackathon produced strong technical concepts. But a prototype isn’t a business.
That’s where we came in.
Our Role: Turning Ideas into Investible Businesses
Growth Studio ran the commercialisation engine. Our brief: take 19 teams with raw hackathon ideas and turn them into fundable, pitch-ready businesses.
We delivered four intensive Investment Readiness Workshops over 4 weeks — problem definition and validation, business model development, investor readiness, and pitch training. Founders applied every framework to their own ventures, in real time, during the session. No theory for theory’s sake — if it didn’t connect to their business, it didn’t make the cut.
We then ran a full-day, in-person Pitch Perfection Masterclass on March 3rd. We’ve used this format with nearly 1,000 founders worldwide. It’s the session that takes a decent pitch and makes it undeniable – stage presence, articulation, narrative, delivery. All refined until they know it like the back of their hand.
Our Co-founder, Rayan Jawad with the support of Andy Bennett led every session and worked directly with the cohort from start to finish. All 19 teams submitted blueprints, pitch decks, and video pitches through the Growth Studio Select Platform. Seven finalists earned the right to pitch live at SpaceComm Expo.
SpaceComm Expo: How the Day Unfolded
March 4th, 2026. SpaceComm Expo, London.
The morning kicked off in the GeoAI Launchpad space where all 19 cohort founders had dedicated stands – a brilliant chance to hear first-hand how the programme shaped their thinking, their models, and their confidence. The full cohort – not just the finalists – got to present on the GeoAI stage. Every single team had their moment.
After lunch and some serious networking, Andy joined Shidrati Ali and Luisa Doughty on a panel – “End User Pull: Unlocking the Commercial Potential of GeoAI.” The conversation dug into how GeoAI drives new business models and smarter decisions, and what end users actually need from providers, investors, and government to unlock its full value. We don’t just train founders to pitch – we know the sectors they’re building in, and that matters when the questions from investors get specific.
Then came the main event. Seven teams. The Space Data Theater stage.
The 7 Teams Who Took the Stage
Eight weeks earlier, these teams had raw hackathon prototypes. On March 4th, they pitched like founders who know exactly what they’re building and why it matters.
Gentian is tackling spatial planning at the infrastructure level — a platform built on interoperability and “data-layer reasoning” that pulls Earth Observation data into existing planning workflows. The kind of tool that makes GeoAI actually usable for the people making land and ocean decisions.
Agribot AI, led by Chris Knight, built Pasture AI — using satellite and ground-truth data to forecast grass growth and pasture productivity for livestock farmers, supply-chain teams, and insurers. Predictions that farmers and insurers can actually act on.
x10NI, co-founded by Chris Reed, is building a digital-twin and GeoAI platform for agri-food. Dashboards and pilots already in place, modelling farm systems and supply-chain outcomes. They’re giving the sector tools that go way beyond guesswork.
EarthSavvy, Matt Evans and team are turning Earth Observation into conversational intelligence. Their real-time AI engine ingests geospatial data and delivers actionable answers across agri-food, supply chains, and energy. Ask a question. Get an answer backed by satellite data.
Native Squared, Rob Cobbold is building geo-referenced “nature squares” to unlock finance for conservation. A parcel-based MRV platform with an ABC valuation method (Additionality, Biodiversity, Community) and AI-driven scoring. If nature-based markets are going to scale, they need tools exactly like this.
Ocean OS translates ocean datasets into decision intelligence. AI-powered ocean-condition modelling that supports conservation, offshore energy, and marine management. Our oceans are a massive blind spot in spatial planning — and Ocean OS is building the tools to fix that.
Orbiventure, led by Abigail Hoover, combines Earth Observation with acoustic, vessel-traffic, and citizen-science data for coastal and marine planning. Multi-source models and analytics that inform the policy and operational decisions our coastlines desperately need.
What the Winners Walk Away With
Each finalist received tailored Commercialisation Credits redeemable against the Satellite Applications Catapult’s Space Commercialisation Engine – valued at up to £80,000 per company. These credits support teams in developing market-ready products and preparing for future funding.
To Every Team in the Cohort
The 7 finalists earned their spot on stage. But this programme was never just about the winners.
To all 19 teams – Gentian, Pemberton, Deep Planet, x10NI, Agribot, RSAC, Calterra, VeLinkX, Native Squared, Ocean OS, Orbiventure, Barefoot Lightning, EarthSavvy, Vertinek, LinearWorks, Ergodic, ViableSite, Netzero Assets, and SpaceD – a massive congratulations.
You entered with raw hackathon ideas. You left sharper, more commercially aware, and better equipped to build businesses that matter.
We are proud to have been part of your journey.
Thank You to the Partners Who Made This Happen
To Innovate UK Business Connect for leading the charge on the GeoAI Festival and trusting Growth Studio to deliver the commercialisation programme.
To DEFRA for setting the challenge areas that give this work real purpose.
To the Satellite Applications Catapult for delivering the hackathon and providing technical expertise throughout.
To AWS for powering the AI tooling behind the prototypes.
And to the SpaceComm Expo team for hosting the grand finale and giving these founders the stage they deserved.
To Luca Budello and Alana Kruger at IUKBC, Oliver Vaughan at DEFRA, Ed Bryning and Joel Freedman at the Satellite Applications Catapult, and Christie Day at SpaceComm – thank you.
What Happens Now
The founders we worked with are building businesses that will shape how we monitor, protect, and sustain our planet. Earth Observation and AI aren’t buzzwords here, they’re the tools these teams are using to solve real problems, for real customers, with real commercial models behind them.
We can’t wait to watch what they do next.
Want to follow the progress?
Follow us on LinkedIn for updates on the GeoAI cohort and our upcoming programmes.
Read more about the GeoAI Festival: Innovate UK Business Connect Article
