Technology

Martello secures £1.2m to disrupt UK property risk assessments with AI-driven platform

Monday, 19 May 2025 12:13AM UTC

Martello has raised £1.2 million in funding to transform how environmental and property risks such as flooding, subsidence, and contamination are assessed in UK conveyancing, using AI-powered interactive reports and strategic partnerships to improve accuracy and streamline the process.

Martello, a forward-thinking AI-powered platform, is revolutionising the landscape of environmental and property risk assessments in the conveyancing process. Having successfully raised £1.2 million in a funding round led by Fuel Ventures, the company aims to fundamentally transform how critical risks—such as flooding, subsidence, and contamination—are identified and communicated in property transactions across the UK. The involvement of strategic angel investors with extensive expertise in environmental searches further solidifies the platform’s credibility and potential impact within the industry.

Since its market launch 15 months ago, Martello has been rapidly developing high-quality environmental reports, gaining traction with some of the UK's most respected law firms. The platform's ability to analyse thousands of data points in real time allows legal professionals and their clients to enhance their due diligence practices. By replacing traditional, ambiguous PDF reports with interactive dashboards and definitive answers, Martello is addressing a significant pain point in conveyancing.

Dr. Henry Crosby, co-founder and CEO of Martello, articulated the pressing need for change, stating, “In my opinion, the foundations of Environmental searches haven’t changed in 20 years – and they’re often ambiguous and risk-prone.” This sentiment underscores the urgency for a more transparent and reliable method for assessing risks in property transactions. Fuel Ventures' managing partner, Mark Pearson, expressed enthusiasm about the investment, highlighting the unique combination of legal acumen and technological innovation that the Martello team brings to the table. He believes that their efforts are not only timely but also overdue for disruption in the industry.

In a strategic move to further enhance its offering, Martello recently partnered with Ashfield Solutions, a well-regarded consultancy in land contamination risk management. This collaboration aims to improve the accuracy and reliability of contamination assessments, addressing the challenges faced by conveyancers due to the often unreliable nature of current environmental reports. Together, they plan to reduce the frequency of “failed” or “further action” results by nearly 60%, helping to streamline the conveyancing process.

Additionally, Martello is also making strides in the realm of energy efficiency through collaboration with Propflo. This partnership focuses on integrating green home improvement assessments into conveyancing searches, employing the Propflo ‘GreenVal’ tool. The initiative addresses the pressing need for property retrofitting, highlighted by the £250 billion required to raise UK properties to environmental standards. The complexity and disjointed nature of retrofitting present challenges to homeowners, and this collaboration seeks to simplify the process for prospective buyers.

In the context of climate change, the threat of flooding has become an increasingly significant concern for both property owners and buyers. Climate projections indicate that the number of properties at serious risk of flooding in England could rise dramatically, from approximately 330,000 today to as many as 1.2 million by the 2080s. Martello’s innovative approach to flood risk assessment allows clients to utilise predictive data and proactive engineering solutions, ensuring informed decision-making during property transactions.

Thus, Martello stands at the forefront of a much-needed transformation in the conveyancing landscape. By utilising advanced technology and deep sector knowledge, the platform is evolving to meet contemporary challenges in property risk assessment, positioning itself as a leader in the field. With continued investment and strategic partnerships, Martello is set to redefine standards in environmental risk reporting within the UK property market.

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Source: Noah Wire Services

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https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/martello-raises-1-2m-to-transform-property-risk-assessment/ - Please view link - unable to able to access data
https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/martello-raises-1-2m-to-transform-property-risk-assessment/ - Martello, an AI-powered platform reimagining how environmental and property risks are assessed during conveyancing, raised £1.2m in a funding round led by Fuel Ventures. The round also includes participation from strategic angel investors with deep expertise in environmental searches and property law. Martello is pioneering a smarter way to surface, analyse, and communicate critical environmental risks – such as flooding, subsidence, and contamination – that affect property transactions across the UK. By using Martello’s deep data expertise to interrogate thousands of data points in real time, the platform dramatically improves the due diligence process for lawyers and their buyers. Founded by a team of data science and legal experts, Martello is on a mission to replace the ambiguous outputs, PDF-heavy reports used in environmental property searches with definitive answers, exceptional service, and interactive dashboards. Martello has been on the market for 15 months now, releasing high-quality reports at an unprecedented pace, working with some of the industry’s most respected law firms to iterate and gain feedback quickly. Dr. Henry Crosby, co-founder and CEO, stated, “In my opinion, the foundations of Environmental searches haven’t changed in 20 years – and they’re often ambiguous and risk-prone. Martello is bringing much-needed clarity to an increasingly critical part of the conveyancing process. With this funding, we’re building a platform that helps everyone involved in a property transaction make faster, more informed decisions.” Mark Pearson, managing partner at Fuel Ventures, added, “We’re thrilled to back Martello at this early stage. The founding team brings a unique combination of legal domain knowledge and technical innovation, and they’re tackling a problem that’s long overdue for disruption. With deep insight into the conveyancing process and strong backing from industry insiders, Martello is well positioned to become the new standard for environmental risk reporting in UK property.”
https://www.martello.app/blog/case-study-transforming-contamination-risk-assessments-with-martello-and-ashfield - In September 2024, Martello, a leading provider of independent environmental searches for conveyancers, entered into a strategic partnership with Ashfield Solutions, a highly respected environmental consultancy with decades of experience in land contamination risk management. This partnership was established to address the growing need for more accurate and reliable contamination risk assessments in property transactions across England and Wales in order to reduce unnecessary “failed” or “further action” outcomes of Environmental reports for Conveyancers. By leveraging best-in-class data and expert analysis at Martello and Environmental expertise Ashfield Solutions, Martello is now able to offer even more comprehensive and precise contamination assessments that reduce the incidence of failed reports and unnecessary delays by 60%.
https://proptech-x.com/proptech-x-martello-partners-with-proptech-propflo-and-adds-energy-risk-mitigations-service/ - Martello has partnered with Propflo to be the first to bring a one-stop-shop for green home improvements into conveyancing searches. The two leading South West proptech companies are working together to help prospective buyers and homeowners take action to mitigate risks around poor energy efficiency, wellbeing, and net zero for a property. Propflo’s ‘GreenVal’ tool will be featured in reports and has been designed to take the complexity out of retrofitting. With £250bn investment required to bring UK properties up to standard, and 80,000 homes needing to be retrofitted per month, it is a key priority for the country. However, homeowners lack information and the process is currently disjointed.
https://www.martello.app/blog/understanding-flood-risks - In the ever-changing landscape of climate change, another critical environmental challenge that significantly affects properties is flooding. Flooding is a dangerous issue that can have devastating effects on real estate; it can cause a variety of damages with serious repercussions for buildings. As global temperatures rise and weather patterns become increasingly unpredictable, the risk of flooding becomes a growing concern for both property owners and the broader community. Climate change projections paint a stark picture of the future impact of flooding. According to the climate change scenarios outlined in the Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA), the number of properties in England with a significant chance of flooding could surge from the current 330,000 up to 1.2 million by the 2080s. However, buyers, sellers, and lenders can all make informed decisions by considering various possibilities and utilising predictive approaches. Climate projections used in flood mapping provide vital information for property assessment, risk mitigation, and the implementation of appropriate engineering interventions.
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https://www.martellotech.com/blog/relieving-the-it-burden-a-sneak-peek-at-martellos-ai-strategy/ - Since large language models and image generators burst onto the scene about a year and a half ago, AI has sparked a mix of excitement, wonder and controversy. Everybody knows it’s a game-changer and no one wants to be left out — even if they’re not quite sure what to do with it yet. According to statistics cited by CompTIA, more than half (55%) of organizations today are implementing AI in either a limited or extensive way, and the rest say they’re at least exploring it. But that question of “what to do with it” matters because AI, while powerful, is an enabling technology: its value comes from how it’s applied. While he most vocal champions of AI may tout it as a panacea for any and all problems, the reality is today’s AI is very good at some things and not so good at others. Two particular areas of AI strength are enabling business efficiencies and conquering big data. Those are exactly where we at Martello have focused our AI strategy, applying the technology in ways that will help reduce time to resolution, lower costs, speed up customer onboarding and increase productivity related to Microsoft Teams. Our ultimate vision is to embed even more powerful analytics and proactive problem-solving into our Vantage DX solution, relieving the burden on IT departments that are responsible for managing Teams performance and the user experience.

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 8

Notes: The narrative does not appear to be out of date, as it discusses recent funding and strategic partnerships. However, it references environmental and property risk assessments over a longer period, which could be considered somewhat general.

Quotes check

Score: 6

Notes: Direct quotes are provided without an earlier known reference online. The lack of earlier references suggests these might be original, but without further confirmation, the score remains moderate.

Source reliability

Score: 7

Notes: The narrative originates from Business Cloud, a reputable business news source in the UK. However, the lack of verification from other major outlets decreases the reliability score slightly.

Plausability check

Score: 9

Notes: The claims about Martello's technology and partnerships are plausible and align with current industry trends. The narrative presents a coherent and logical argument for Martello's role in property risk assessment.

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM

Summary: The narrative presents a coherent and plausible account of Martello's advancements in property risk assessment, backed by funding and strategic partnerships. However, the lack of extensive verification from multiple sources and the originality of quotes impact the overall confidence.

Martello
property risk
AI technology
conveyancing
environmental risk
funding
climate change