Land Digital, a Sunderland-based transport technology company, has raised over £700,000 to accelerate development and commercial rollout of its AI-enhanced platform for barrier-free tolling, parking and transport operations. The funding comprises a £500,000 investment from Northstar Ventures' Venture Sunderland Fund, £25,000 from business angels and £180,000 from Creative England.
Transport operators are increasingly moving away from barrier-controlled systems, which create bottlenecks, frustrate motorists and constrain revenue collection. Land Digital's platform uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), data processing and AI to optimise pricing and improve operational decision-making. By enabling continuous operation and reducing reliance on manual processes and out-dated on-site infrastructure, the platform helps operators improve throughput and compliance, enhance customer experience, and reduce emissions caused by stop-start traffic.
The highly configurable back-office platform can be deployed more quickly and flexibly than many traditional transport management systems. Live deployments include open-road tolling at the Tyne Tunnel (TT2), which handles around 17 million journeys per year, and Warburton Bridge. Parking operations at London Southend Airport provide an important reference site for Land Digital's growing airport proposition, in a market where UK airport parking revenues alone are estimated at £2.1bn annually.
Having evolved from a consultancy-led model into a scalable, product-led technology business, Land Digital has a team with deep domain expertise and a board that includes experts across the transport, infrastructure and digital sectors. Chairman Julian Leighton founded OrangeBus, a previous Northstar Ventures investee, while Non-Executive Director Mark Pegler, former Managing Director of ParkVia, brings significant commercial and airport sector experience. The new funds will strengthen Land Digital's product roadmap and expand the team to support growth.
Operators don't want more technology - they want less friction, for their customers and their back office. This investment lets us bring AI-driven efficiency to both, faster, whilst meeting demand from operators ready to move on from barrier-based systems.
Land Digital has developed a genuinely differentiated software platform for transport infrastructure at a time when operators are increasingly looking to modernise legacy systems. The team combines deep sector expertise with strong technical capability and has demonstrated the ability to win and deliver contracts across both tolling and airport environments. We believe the business has significant growth potential and we're delighted to support the next stage of its journey through the Venture Sunderland Fund.
We're delighted to support the team at Land Digital through our Creative and Cultural Investment Programme (CCIP). The team has built an innovative platform that helps transport operators address key operational challenges, from reducing congestion to enhancing passenger experiences. As demand for smarter, more connected transport infrastructure continues to grow, Land Digital is well positioned for the future. We're excited to back the team as they continue to deliver meaningful impact across the sector.
