Tremap is on a mission to map every tree on the planet – helping landowners and communities better understand, manage and protect natural environments in the face of climate change and urban growth. Its platform combines a user-friendly app and web portal to help organisations like botanical gardens, universities and local councils, catalogue and manage the trees in their care. The technology is already being used by a range of organisations including Myerscough College, in partnership with the Greater London Authority, to research tree species resilience in London.

Richard Maxwell, Head of Business Development at Tremap, says: “Our ethos at Tremap is to bring people and trees together by putting physical trees in the digital space. Our technology helps landowners and communities connect with nature in a practical, meaningful way – whether they’re managing tree data or simply learning more about what’s around them.”

Targeted support uncovers new growth pathways

Tremap began working with Innovate UK Business Growth in 2023 after securing a £25,000 Innovate UK Design Foundations grant. Innovation and Growth Specialist, Angelo Spencer-Smith, developed a tailored action plan with the company to identify growth strategies across funding and finance, marketing, intellectual property (IP) and internationalisation.

Richard explains: “From our very first session, Angelo quickly identified weaknesses in our business plan that we hadn’t fully recognised. His structured, incisive questioning challenged our assumptions and brought clarity to areas we had previously overlooked, revealing critical opportunities for improvement.”

Another specialist from the wider Innovate UK Business Growth network provided strategic input that helped strengthen Tremap’s approach to grant funding, contributing to its successful application for a second Design Foundations grant worth £43,000.

Richard adds: “Personally, I hadn’t had much success with grant applications before I worked with the team. They gave me the skills and confidence to apply for round two of Innovate UK’s Design Foundations Net Zero Environments Study, which we were successful in.”

Strategy, skills and global connections support scale-up

With expert guidance from Innovate UK Business Growth with marketing, Tremap reviewed and restructured its marketing strategy, clarified its SEO targeting and built in measurable outcomes to inform future campaigns. The company also deepened its understanding of the UK and European patenting process and explored the potential benefits of registering its IP.

International ambitions were supported through Innovate UK’s Global Business Innovation Programme (GBIP) to India in June 2024, focused on urban systems.

Richard says: “The GBIP was absolutely revolutionary for me. The support and introductions from the Innovation UK Business Growth team helped us to get past the fog of knowing nothing about a market, to having a good grasp of the business culture and where the opportunities might lie for Tremap.”

That visit led to a partnership with a university in Calcutta, which is now using the company’s GreenSpaces platform to manage its campus tree population. To build on these early connections, the company joined Innovate UK’s Global Incubator Programme (GIP) in Hyderabad, delivered in collaboration with business accelerator T-Hub.

Delivered by Innovate UK Business Growth, the programme supports innovation-led companies to explore international markets through in-country accelerators, helping them build local networks and validate commercial opportunities. Through the GIP, Tremap has progressed discussions with a local NGO, a university and a carbon offsetting firm.

Talent, tools and traction for future growth

To support further development, Angelo recommended that Tremap take advantage of student placement schemes offered by the University of Bristol and the Spintern initiative from Digital Catapult – part of the Innovate UK Catapult Network.

Richard concludes: “Both those schemes were excellent. They give students practical work experience and enabled us to take new steps such as producing a light version of our app. We’ve since taken on one of the students as a part-time technical support programmer and another in a tech support and data role.”

With its expanded team and growing international network, Tremap is making a meaningful contribution to the UK’s sustainability goals. By helping organisations understand and protect their tree populations, the company is supporting more resilient ecosystems and greener communities, while creating economic value through innovation and digital infrastructure.

Tremap continues to receive support from Innovate UK Business Growth as it works towards its goal of mapping every tree in the world, helping landowners everywhere to protect their natural assets and engage people with the nature around them.

The GBIP was absolutely revolutionary for me. The support and introductions from the Innovation UK Business Growth team helped us to get past the fog of knowing nothing about a market, to having a good grasp of the business culture and where the opportunities might lie for Tremap.

– Richard Maxwell, Head of Business Development at Tremap