Slingshot Simulations - the Digital Twin pioneers

by Startacus Admin
The Leeds-based startup Slingshot Simulations that's on a mission to innovate by providing Simulation-as-a-Service and large scale Digital Twins
When changes need to be made to logistics, be it on a city-wide scale or something more localised, simulations are run to see what the various choices could end up looking like. Usually these simulations are a simple case of crunching numbers, and people thinking, ‘Well, this might happen, and people might do that’, and then the decisions are made, and that’s when everyone realises the things they didn’t think of. But, as is becoming the case more and more, we can turn to artificial intelligence to help with this.
University of Leeds spin-out Slingshot Simulations is one tech startup aiming to provide simulations as a service. Their platform creates a digital copy of a location, be it a warehouse, factory, or entire town, and then uses predictive analysis to determine all of the possible outcomes of the different changes that are being proposed, using data from multiple sources including buildings, traffic, people’s devices, and mapping data from NASA and ESA satellites, and applying it to multiple objectives.
One simple example given by the startup revolves around a warehouse, both improving the way workers traverse the warehouse itself, and determining the best possible route to deliver from the warehouse to the customer, based on numerous factors.
Recently, Slingshot Simulations secured funding of £46,000 from Innovate UK and the Geospatial Commission, and launched a ‘Yorkshire Geospatial Twin partnership’ along with the councils of Leeds, York, and Hull, as well as Arup and the BT Group.
This project is using the startup’s ‘digital twin’ simulation for these cities for city planners to plan and test changes within a 3D copy of the cities to improve various aspects of the cities, including congestion and pollution. A more pressing issue for some, given Brexit, is delays at the port of Hull, which Slingshot will also be able to help run simulations to improve logistics and avoid problems.
We think that such a scalable solution will become widely used, and we will be hearing the name Slingshot Simulations more often in the near future.
It's fantastic to see Innovate UK continuing to support innovative startups like this. Untangle and Boop are just two of the startups that we've previously featured which have been able to avail of similar funding to help build and develop their startups.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
The lowdown on the Regional Winners of Tech Nation's Rising Stars competition - some of the UK's most promising early stage tech companies.

Loop Not Luck aims to improve social mobility via its innovative job board designed specifically to connect underrepresented candidates to tailored career opportunities.

75% of LGBTQ+ tech founders and investors actively conceal their gender or sexuality from peers in the ecosystem, says first of its kind report.

Leading AI startup Aiir Innovations secures major investment to support global expansion and help set a new standard for engine inspections.

The lowdown on OneThird, the foodtech startup that's tackling food waste via its innovative solution for predicting the shelf life of fresh produce.

Karen Meager, co-founder of Monkey Puzzle Training shares some insights on how leadership has changed in the last decade, and what it takes to be a great leader today.

Freight rate management platform Freightify raises Series A investment to support further international growth and mission to help more freight forwarding companies digitize their operations.

Crowdfunding success for Omni, the vegan dog food brand, reaffirms the recession-proof growth of the pet nutrition industry.

Want to learn a new language? Weeve is an innovative startup that has created an innovative, creative and effective way to help you do just that.

Want to build an investable, scalable tech startup? The Raise Accelerator programme is now open for applications and will help you do just that.
Published on: 9th March 2021
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.







- Tech Nation reveals 33 early stage scaleups to watch in 2023 8th Feb 2023 The lowdown on the Regional Winners of Tech Nation's Rising Stars competition - some of the UK's most promising early stage tech companies.
- Loop Not Luck, the UK’s first intersectional diversity recruiting platform launches 7th Feb 2023 Loop Not Luck aims to improve social mobility via its innovative job board designed specifically to connect underrepresented candidates to tailored career opportunities.
- New report reveals the tech community's LGBTQ+ Crisis 7th Feb 2023 75% of LGBTQ+ tech founders and investors actively conceal their gender or sexuality from peers in the ecosystem, says first of its kind report.
- Aviation startup Aiir Innovations raises over €2M to transform aircraft engine maintenance 7th Feb 2023 Leading AI startup Aiir Innovations secures major investment to support global expansion and help set a new standard for engine inspections.