Who we are

Our vision

Clean air is an integral part of a thriving society. Our vision is a world where everyone can access clean air. Where knowledge of exposure leads to better health for everyone. Where the invisible becomes visible.

"By making air quality data more accessible and actionable, we empower individuals and communities to breathe better and live healthier."

Our values

At Air Aware Labs, our core values guide everything we do.

Health & well-being

Empowering individuals with personalized air quality insights for better health and performance.

Innovation

Leveraging cutting-edge technology and data to make air quality information accessible and actionable.

Global responsibility

Committed to reducing air pollution and promoting sustainability for a healthier planet.

Fun & empowerment

Making environmental awareness engaging and inspiring for positive lifestyle choices.

Collaboration

Partnering with experts, communities, and organizations to drive impactful change in air quality.

Our story

Air Aware Labs was founded in January 2024 by Louise Thomas (CEO) and Dr William Hicks (CSO). They met in October 2023 at the ZINC Venture Builder programme, where they combined Louise’s background in community environmental advocacy with Will’s scientific expertise. Based on their shared experience of living and exercising in London, they set out to build tools that provide clear, personal data on air quality.

Why we started Air Aware Labs

"Raising children in South London, I became involved in a school environmental project that highlighted how difficult it is to access reliable information about the air we breathe. We founded Air Aware Labs to change that–giving families the confidence to enjoy the city and exercise safely by reducing their exposure to pollution." - Louise Thomas, CEO

"I started running during lockdown and noticed how much the air quality seemed to change even on a single route. My goal was to take the capabilities of a field laboratory and make them accessible to everyone. With our first product, AirTrack, we are making hidden pollution risks visible so people can make informed, healthier choices every day." - Dr. William Hicks, CSO


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Recognition

Awards & honours

Winner
Reset Connect Community Prize
June 15, 2026
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Finalist
EISA Entrepreneur of the Year
June 10, 2026
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Finalist
EISA SEIS Investee of the Year
June 5, 2026
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Semi-finalist
Trans-Atlantic Angel Conference
May 15, 2026
Finalist
Queen Mary Social Venture Fund
April 15, 2026
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Top 100
Startups.co.uk UK Start-ups
January 15, 2026
Winner
Tech Trailblazers Firestarter
December 10, 2025
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Winner
Tech Trailblazers Sustainable Tech
December 5, 2025
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Finalist
Startup Guide Summit
November 15, 2025
UK Runner-up
TiE Global Women’s Prize
September 15, 2025
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Finalist
EISA SEIS Investee of the Year
June 15, 2025
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Finalist
Entrepreneur’s Award for Social Innovation
May 15, 2025
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Finalist
SantanderX
July 1, 2025
Winner
Goodtech Ventures Showcase
December 15, 2024
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Our team

Our team are experts in air quality, technology, product design, public policy and medicine. We have over 75 publications in air quality and health journals and have led community engagement and campaigns.

Louise Thomas

Co-founder - Chief Executive Officer

Dr Will Hicks

Co-founder - Chief Scientific Officer

Dr Sacha Manson-Smith

Chief Technical Officer

Daniel Harris

Chief Product Officer

Lía Budnik

Marketing and Communications Officer

Our advisers

We are backed by an elite team of start-up advisers, deeply committed to our mission. Our advisers have profound expertise across business, finance and scientific domains.

Dr Dan Hardy

Atmospheric Chemistry Adviser

Adesola Adebowale

Finance Adviser

Dr David Janner-Klausner

Strategic Operations Adviser

Dr Zhenghong Liu

Healthcare Innovation Adviser

Helen Stewart

Commercial Lead

Tom Maverley

Go To Market Adviser

Dr Yiqun Han

Chief Medical Officer

Ksenia Fortin-Brazeau

Marketing Adviser

Agniprotim Sen

International Adviser

Michael Pan

Asia Growth Adviser

Our affiliations

We are proud to be a part of some of the most forward-thinking organisations and networks which span environment, health and technology.
Every Breath Counts
We are part of this UN-affiliated coalition of 100+ organisations working to reduce pneumonia deaths worldwide.
Google for Start-ups
We are part of the Google for Start-ups programme (Scale tier), connecting us with people, products and best practices to help us grow.
Sustainable Ventures
We are part of the Sustainable Ventures ecosystem, Europe's home of climate tech, with support from Lambeth Council.
GoodTech Ventures
We completed the GoodTech Ventures accelerator in 2025, winning the final pitch competition.
Just Transition
We took part in this Start Up Discovery School programme supporting climate tech businesses across Greater London.
Heka
AirTrack is available through Heka, the employee wellbeing platform for happier, healthier workplaces.
HealthKey
AirTrack is available through HealthKey, the platform connecting employees with healthcare benefits.
Centre for Business and Industrial Transformation
We joined the CBIT venture builder at Nottingham Trent University in January 2025, empowering disruptive businesses.
Regent Capital Ventures
We are a portfolio company of Regent Capital Ventures, which backs early-stage businesses with a social and environmental focus.
Lambeth Climate Partnership
We are part of this network of organisations delivering Lambeth's Climate Action Plan together.
Camden Year of Clean Air for Schools
We are a resource for this schools programme improving health outcomes for young people affected by air pollution.
Arcanys Ventures
We are working with Arcanys, which backs software founders with tech equity.
Enterprise Investment Scheme Association
We are members of the Enterprise Investment Scheme Association, helping SMEs access the funding they need to grow.
Barclays / AccelerateHER
We took part in Barclays' Female Founder Accelerator from January to March 2025.
Walkabouts by Amitypath
We partner with Amitypath's monthly walkabouts across the UK and beyond.
Ride For Their Lives
We supported this healthcare providers' ride from London to Geneva, raising awareness of air pollution's impact on health.
Our Planet Needs You
We collaborated with this sustainability programme to bring air pollution insights to school children during their active travel focus.
Sustrans
We are collaborating with the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (Sustrans) on new ways of analysing air pollution data for urban development.
Institution of Civil Engineers
We received an Institution of Civil Engineers grant to develop innovative ways of analysing urban air pollution data with Sustrans.
Imperial Enterprise Lab
As part of the Imperial community, we benefit from the Enterprise Lab's mentoring and outreach opportunities.
EASI25
As finalists for the Entrepreneurs' Award in Social Innovation 2025, we received a year's support from the Worshipful Company of Entrepreneurs.
King of the Hill
We are supporting King of the Hill founders as they walk to southern France in ski boots during June-July 2025
Global Sustainable Sports
We are members of this network uniting sport and sustainability to drive impactful initiatives across the industry.
Woosah
We worked with communications consultancy Woosah on a UK media profiling and brand-building programme through summer 2025.
I Use Genius
We work with I Use Genius on investment and commercial opportunities aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Air Quality Communications Network
We are inaugural members of this international network advancing clearer, more reliable air quality communication.
TiE Global
As finalists for the 2025 TiE Women global award, we have access to support from the TiE community.
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
We feature in the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health's Air Pollution Companion library of case studies.
Crowdhelix
We are part of Crowdhelix, an open innovation network linking thousands of researchers and innovators worldwide.
Mountside Ventures
We joined the Autumn 2025 Venture Forward cohort, receiving fundraising support from September to November.
Boardwave
We are part of Boardwave, a European community of software founders, CEOs and investors offering peer support and events.
BridgeAI
We worked with the Hartree Centre through BridgeAI to make our machine learning models more efficient and impactful.
Responsible 100
We are working with Responsible 100 and Global Action Plan on a new framework for businesses to address air pollution in their ESG work.
Asthma+Lung
We are helping athletes running the 2026 London Landmarks Half Marathon for Asthma+Lung manage their pollution exposure with AirTrack.
Forest bikes
We partner with Forest to help their riders access cleaner routes while cycling around London.
Maar Agency
We work with Maar Agency to raise awareness of our work across media outlets.
Project Salt Run
We supported Hannah Cox and team as they ran 100 marathons in 100 days across India, tracking their exposure with AirTrack.
Tech Trailblazers
We won the Sustainable Tech and Firestarter categories at the 2025 Tech Trailblazers awards.
Top 100 Start ups
We were featured in the Startups.co.uk Top 100 list of the most promising new UK businesses in January 2026.
Impact Deal
We took part in this data-driven European impact accelerator from February to April 2026.
LSV Social Impact Demonstrator
We are delivering an innovation trial on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Innovation District, February to June 2026.
FuturePlus
We worked with sustainability platform FuturePlus to develop a practical business guide to outdoor air quality.
Medipex
We worked with Medipex to build a health economics model for respiratory patient pathways.
London Marathon Events
We are working with London Marathon Events to bring air quality data to elites and mass participants at the London Marathon.
World Economic Forum
Our CEO and CSO are World Economic Forum agenda contributors, with five published blogs on air quality innovation.
CatalyseHer
In May–June 2026 we are part of CatalyseHer, accelerating early-stage women-led businesses with social and environmental impact.
London Legacy Development Corporation
From April to June 2026 we are running a pilot of AirTrack Enterprise with the London Legacy Development Corporation.
CVC-DIF Allia Accelerator
From May to November 2026 we are part of this Allia Impact accelerator, turning strong ideas into scalable solutions.
Wings of Survival
We are supporting this 30,000 km cycle ride through the Americas tracking migratory birds.
APPG for UK Innovation Start ups and SMEs
We are a supporter of the All Party Parliamentary Group for UK innovation start-ups and SMEs.
AI Research Resource
We won compute credits on Isambard-AI, the UK's most powerful public compute facility, to help build our hyper-local air pollution models.
Diamond League
We are providing air quality data for the 2026 London Diamond League, making air quality part of the event experience.
Nexus Collective
From July 2026 we are part of this nine-month Barclays programme focused on women's health start-ups.
Open AQ resource directory
We are listed in the Air Quality Data-to-Action Resource Directory of organisations providing technical support.

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© 2026 Air Aware Labs

Company registered in England, registration number 15435500.

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