Water quality and security are among the most urgent global challenges.. Far beyond just an environmental concern, water quality is a linchpin for public health, food production, ecological stability, and economic resilience. Water systems are highly sensitive to nearly every human activity: urban development, agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing, and more. As land use intensifies and more areas are converted to productive purposes, the environment’s ability to absorb the impacts is shrinking. That’s putting pressure on land users, especially farmers, to prove they’re protecting freshwater while still producing more for a growing world.
Aqua-Analytica is tackling this issue by building an AI-powered assistant that gives land users and planners access to Environmental Intelligence - data, analytics, and expert interpretation - so they can make SMART decisions.
Meet the founders of Aqua-Analytica, one of the ventures in the Sprout Accelerator Spring25 Cohort. The team is led by Dr Saeed Rahimi, who brings together GeoAI research, Geospatial modelling, and full-stack web development. He’s joined by co-founders Dr Lisa Pearson, an expert in Earth and Environmental Science, and Dr Giovanni Pedone, a neuroscience PhD turned commercialisation specialist. Together, they blend scientific depth with practical innovation.
The idea for Aqua-Analytica came from a clear gap between the world of science and the day-to-day reality of farming, planning, and building infrastructure on the land. The founders saw firsthand how much valuable data existed, but how scattered, technical, and inaccessible it was to those on the ground. Reports tend to arrive late, cost too much, and aren’t always actionable. Turning data into useful intelligence requires more than just access, it needs integration, analysis, and interpretation. After working on multiple water quality and land risk mapping projects across different regions, the team began to see a pattern. The challenge wasn’t just technical, it was systemic. That’s when they realised a tool was needed to fix it.
Their solution is a novel AI-based web application for environmental monitoring, modelling, and risk assessment. In simple terms, Aqua-Analytica brings together diverse data sources, runs technical analyses, and translates the results into clear, useful guidance for people on the ground. Instead of searching for files or waiting on one-off reports, users can open a browser and see what matters in real time. The goal isn’t more graphs for the sake of it, but timely prompts and clear signals that help users take the best next step.
Now, as part of the Sprout Accelerator, Aqua-Analytica is focused on turning this vision into a product that delivers real value in the field. They’re testing how to make the initial MVP simple, useful, and trustworthy. They’re learning from mentors and peers, sharpening their customer focus, and building industry relationships. Being part of a cohort with 17 other ventures has given Aqua-Analytica momentum and the kind of feedback that fuels growth.
As scientists, the team has stepped out of their comfort zones to build something with lasting impact. Their belief is simple, make it easy to see risk, plan fast, and act early, so farmers and growers can protect our most valuable resources, soil and water, while supporting better business decisions.