UrbanBiome Ltd

What UrbanBiome Ltd does

UrbanBiome Ltd is a Bristol, UK-based private geospatial analytics company that builds free environmental intelligence tools to support targeted urban greening. Its two core products are Explorer, an interactive map that stacks six environmental concern layers (air quality, flood risk, noise pollution, urban heat, vegetation deficit, and deprivation) into a single cumulative risk visualization, and Sightings, a community-driven platform for documenting and sharing existing green infrastructure such as street trees, rain gardens, and green walls. Both tools are web-based self-serve applications built on open data sources, including European Space Agency satellite imagery, OpenStreetMap contributions, and UK government open data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

The company serves community organizations, neighborhood trusts, environmental advocacy groups (including Avon Wildlife Trust and WWT), and urban greening practitioners such as Live Graft and SUGi in Bristol. Its go-to-market is community-led: tools are offered free of charge, the company collaborates directly with a network of eight named Bristol-based partner organizations, and marketing occurs through partner referrals and co-founder LinkedIn profiles. There is no formal sales motion or paid tier.

UrbanBiome operates as a bootstrapped, founder-led entity with two named co-founders (Reuben Forster, Technology & Data; Manon Dangelser, Strategy & Communication). Revenue, if any, is sourced exclusively from voluntary donations via Open Collective, and the company has indicated that paid features may be introduced in the future. The firm is incorporated as a private limited company in England and Wales, currently operates only in Bristol, and has no disclosed institutional funding, headcount, or revenue figures.

Name

UrbanBiome Ltd

Legal name

Urban Biome Ltd

Website

https://urbanbiome.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

UrbanBiome Ltd is a Bristol-based geospatial analytics company providing free interactive mapping tools (Explorer and Sightings) that combine open environmental data and community contributions to identify where urban greening micro-interventions can have the greatest impact.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geospatial Analytics Software

NAICS

Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370)

akta.pro primary industry

Ecological/Habitat & Land-Use Change Modeling (Biodiversity, Conservation Planning) (EUAHAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ), Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL)

Keywords

• Geospatial analytics software
• Urban environmental intelligence
• Green infrastructure mapping
• Community mapping platform
• Environmental risk visualization

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations (Open Collective): Urban Biome is currently supported entirely by voluntary donations through Open Collective. All tools are provided free of charge. Donations are used to support development and maintenance of environmental analysis tools. The company may introduce paid features in the future, which would be clearly communicated.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

UrbanBiome Ltd builds and operates two free, browser-based geospatial tools for Bristol, UK: Explorer, an interactive map that stacks six environmental concern layers (air quality, flood risk, noise pollution, urban heat, vegetation deficit, and deprivation) into a single cumulative risk view, and Sightings, a community platform where users document and share existing green infrastructure (street trees, rain gardens, green walls) with photos and descriptions. Together the tools identify where micro-greening interventions can have the most impact and build a shared inventory of urban greening efforts, targeting community organizations, urban greening practitioners, and environmental advocacy groups.

Product overview

Urban Biome Ltd operates as an environmental intelligence and geospatial analytics platform offering two free web-based tools: Explorer and Sightings. Explorer is an interactive mapping tool that visualizes cumulative environmental challenges across Bristol by stacking six key concern layers (air quality, flood risk, noise pollution, urban heat, vegetation deficit, and deprivation) into a single color-coded view. Sightings is a community-driven platform that enables users to document, map, and share existing green infrastructure, creating a collective inventory of urban greening efforts. Both tools work together to identify where nature is needed most and connect community action with environmental data to support targeted urban regreening initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Explorer: Interactive map tool that visualizes cumulative environmental challenges across Bristol, including air quality, flood risk, noise pollution, urban heat, vegetation deficit, and deprivation layers.
• Sightings

Products and services

• Explorer Interactive web-based mapping tool that visualizes cumulative environmental challenges across Bristol by stacking six key concern layers — air quality, flood risk, noise pollution, urban heat, vegetation deficit, and deprivation — into a single color-coded view (yellow through orange to deep red), highlighting areas where metrics exceed WHO and UK government recommended levels. It is free to use, aimed at community organizations, urban greening practitioners, and environmental advocacy groups.
• Sightings Community-driven web platform for documenting, mapping, and sharing existing green infrastructure such as street trees, rain gardens, and green walls, with photos and descriptions. It enables a collective inventory of Bristol's urban greening efforts and is aimed at community members, community organizations, and urban greening practitioners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Environmental data made accessible through free interactive tools for community use

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Knowle West Media Centre (KWMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBristol community arts and technology organization collaborating with Urban Biome on urban greening initiatives. KWMC serves as a key community partner in the Bristol network.
• Live GraftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUrban greening and living architecture specialists based in Bristol. Collaborates with Urban Biome to translate data-driven insights into real, on-the-ground microinterventions.
• SUGicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization dedicated to restoring biodiversity in cities through pocket forests and community-led rewilding. Works with Urban Biome on identifying opportunities for urban biodiversity restoration.
• Avon Wildlife TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProtecting wildlife and wild spaces across Bristol, Bath and the West of England. Collaborates with Urban Biome on environmental intelligence and urban wildlife mapping.
• Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based organization conserving wetlands and their wildlife. Partner in the Urban Biome network for environmental advocacy and conservation efforts.
• Lockleaze Neighborhood TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-led organization in Lockleaze, Bristol building a thriving and connected neighbourhood. Key community partner using Urban Biome tools for local environmental initiatives.
• Eastside Community TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChampioning community action in Easton and Lawrence Hill, Bristol. Community partner utilizing Urban Biome's environmental intelligence for local development.
• BS3 Community DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilding a stronger, healthier, happier community in South Bristol. Community partner organization in the Urban Biome network.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Mapbox: Mapping and location platform providing APIs and tools for custom geospatial applications. Serves as both a potential infrastructure provider and a competitor — its visualization capabilities could be leveraged by larger players to replicate Urban Biome's Explorer functionality.
• Esri UK: UK subsidiary of Esri, the global GIS platform leader used by most UK local authorities and environmental agencies. While broader in scope, Esri is the most likely incumbent competitor in any council-level procurement for Urban Biome's planning intelligence.

Others

• Arup Digital: Digital advisory arm of Arup, providing urban planning, climate resilience consulting, and data-driven city strategy to public and private clients. Comparable in serving the urban resilience and sustainability consulting market with technology-enabled insights, and a potential channel partner for council-level work.
• Climate Central: US-based environmental research and communications organization producing climate and sea-level rise visualizations. Thematically related to Urban Biome's environmental data visualization work and a potential data partner or adjacent model for translating environmental data into public-facing tools.
• Connected Places Catapult: UK government-backed innovation accelerator for urban mobility, built environment, and place-making. Relevant as a potential funding and partnership channel for Urban Biome's smart cities mission and as a connector to UK local authority procurement.

Direct peers

• Carto: Location intelligence and spatial analytics platform serving enterprises and public-sector clients with cloud-based GIS and data visualization. Comparable technology stack and customer base (urban planning / sustainability), and a likely competitor if Urban Biome purses a B2B SaaS pivot.
• Patchwork: UK-based urban greening and biodiversity consultancy platform that connects landowners, local authorities, and community groups to deliver nature-based solutions. Closely comparable mission and target audience to Urban Biome's community-led urban greening focus.
• StreetLight Data: Urban mobility and activity analytics platform using multiple data sources to produce location-based insights for planners and transportation agencies. Comparable in applying layered geospatial data to urban planning outcomes, and a potential model for monetizing Urban Biome's environmental intelligence.
• UrbanFootprint: Urban planning analytics platform that combines environmental, mobility, and land-use data layers into decision-support tools for cities and developers. Directly comparable to Urban Biome's cumulative environmental risk mapping approach, though at greater scale and with a more commercial SaaS model.

Emerging players

• What3words: UK-based location addressing platform that has built municipal and emergency services partnerships. Comparable in being a UK-origin geolocation startup with public-sector use cases, though addressing a different functional layer than Urban Biome's environmental intelligence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UrbanBiome Ltd