Headlight
Entrepreneur First '18London, GB · Founded 2018 · 3 known investors
Headlight develops hardware, software, and AI for 3D mapping, locating, and condition assessment of underground infrastructure such as sewers, pipes, tunnels, and culverts. It primarily serves the water industry and construction projects, using robotics, LiDAR, and drones to inspect hazardous underground environments.
Also known as Headlight AI · Headlight AI Limited · Headlight AI Ltd
Founders & leadership
Headlight was founded in 2018 by Jameel Marafie and Puneet Chhabra.
Investors · 3
Also in the syndicate · 2
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Headlight AI Ltd develops hardware, software and AI for 3D mapping, locating and condition assessment of underground infrastructure including sewers, pipes, tunnels and culverts. Its stated mission is to help organisations map, assess and digitise critical underground assets using robotics and AI, addressing the health and safety risks, cost and planning burden of inspecting dark, GPS-denied, confined and often person-inaccessible environments obstructed by fog, mist, dust, silt, mud and flowing water.
The flagship product, Telesto, is an underground surveying and 3D mapping solution that retrofits onto deployment vehicles and uses LiDAR, robotics and AI to collect image and LiDAR data semi-autonomously. The captured data is processed into a high-resolution digital twin of the asset, which is visualised with the SeeBeyond application on the Telesto Data Platform, supporting condition assessment, location analysis and output of 3D maps and DWG files. The company describes itself as a team of scientists and engineers integrating advanced sensors and electronics with proprietary software and AI, and is expanding its portfolio toward confined spaces, smaller pipes and underground voids, including autonomous robots and drones for hazardous environments.
The company's website lists company-development milestones from founding through 2024, including a series of R&D projects (Prometheus, Chimera, Chimera 2, Pipeon) funded by bodies such as Innovate UK, Network Rail and the European Commission, and successive Telesto releases (v1.0 in 2020, v2.0 in 2021, v3.0 R&D in 2023-2024).
Founding story
According to the company's timeline, Headlight was founded in London, UK by Dr Jameel Marafie and Dr Puneet Chhabra in 2017 (internal records list 2018 as founding year). In 2018 it received pre-seed funding from EF, joined PUBLIC, and began developing Telesto.
Business model
Headlight sells and rents its technology: Telesto is available for both purchase and hire, with packages tailored to long-term integration into infrastructure management processes or short-term project use. The company also offers bespoke development services and undertakes grant- and industry-funded R&D projects.
Product sales and equipment hire of Telesto, plus bespoke development services; additional funding comes from public/industry R&D programmes (Innovate UK, Network Rail, European Commission).
Traction
Telesto reached v1.0 in 2020 and v2.0 in 2021, with v3.0 R&D ongoing from 2023 into 2024. Field trials began with Wessex Water in 2019, and the company delivered a Network Rail-funded Prometheus drone phase 2 project in 2024. Multiple industry awards were won in 2020 and 2021. No revenue, customer count or headcount figures are disclosed in the sources.
Latest developments
The company states it has recently started Pipeon, a four-year European Commission funded project to create small autonomous robots that inspect, report and maintain or repair sewers, and is continuing R&D on Telesto v3.0 while expanding into technologies for confined spaces, smaller pipes and underground voids. It is also recruiting for roles in sensing, robotics and AI.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Positions itself as an innovative technology provider for remote 3D mapping in water and construction, citing multiple UK industry awards (Pipeline Industry Guild, Institute of Water, UKSTT, British Water) between 2020 and 2021.
Retrofittable, semi-autonomous data capture that reduces confined space entry, combined with digital twin generation and AI-based condition assessment delivered through its own data platform; the sources do not name competitors or provide comparative benchmarks.
Technology
LiDAR, robotics, drones, advanced sensors and electronics combined with proprietary software and AI to enable semi-autonomous data capture in dark, GPS-denied, obscurant-filled confined spaces. Captured data is processed into high-resolution digital twins and visualised via SeeBeyond on the Telesto Data Platform; outputs include 3D maps and DWG files for quantitative condition and location analysis.
Go-to-market
Direct sales and enquiry-driven engagement via the company website and phone/email, with options to hire or pre-order Telesto; utility trials and publicly funded collaborative R&D projects serve as customer entry points.
Primarily the water industry (utilities such as Wessex Water, an early trial partner), plus construction projects needing to locate buried pipes and sewers to avoid damage and delay; rail infrastructure work has also been undertaken via a Network Rail-funded drone project.
Geography
Founded in London, UK; the website lists an address at the Sussex Innovation Centre, Science Park Square, Brighton BN1 9SB, with a UK phone number. Telesto v1.0 was released to the UK market, and the company participates in a European Commission-funded project.
History
2017: founded in London by Dr Jameel Marafie and Dr Puneet Chhabra. 2018: pre-seed funding by EF, joined PUBLIC, Telesto development. 2019: first major trials with Wessex Water, seed funding via Kx Ventures, start of Prometheus and Chimera projects. 2020: Telesto v1.0 released to the UK market and three award recognitions. 2021: two UKSTT awards, British Water New Talent Award, Telesto v2.0. 2022: Chimera 2 project funded by Innovate UK and entry into the Tech Nation Applied AI 3.0 programme. 2023: Prometheus drone phase 2 project funded by Network Rail and Telesto v3.0 R&D. 2024: Prometheus phase 2 delivered, Pipeon project awarded by the European Commission, continued Telesto v3.0 R&D.
Risks & controversies
No controversies are reported in the available sources. Note that several unrelated organisations share the Headlight name (a San Diego mental health provider, HeadLight of Seattle for construction inspection software, Headlight.tech fleet mobility software, and Headlights Depot automotive parts); these were excluded from this profile.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Timeline · 15
launches, deals, and filingsFour-year European Commission funded project (Pipeon) to develop small autonomous robots that inspect, report, maintain and repair sewers.
Seed round raised via Kx Ventures; company also started the Prometheus and Chimera projects.
Conducted first major field trials with UK water utility Wessex Water.
Company received pre-seed funding by EF and joined PUBLIC; began development of Telesto.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Headlightheadlight.ai · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Headlight do?
- UK company building robotics, LiDAR and AI hardware and software to 3D map and assess underground infrastructure.
- Who founded Headlight?
- Headlight was founded by Jameel Marafie, Puneet Chhabra in 2018.
- Who are Headlight's investors?
- Headlight's investors include Entrepreneur First.
- Where is Headlight headquartered?
- Headlight is headquartered in London, GB.