Meet our members: Helping Chirrup launch the world’s first robot ecologist
Conrad, Founder of Chirrup, meets with Martin Lines of the Nature Friendly Farming Network
“The UK countryside is going silent.”
The birdsong that once defined the British countryside is fading. For Conrad, founder of Chirrup, this loss is personal. Growing up in the 1970s, he remembers a landscape teeming with birdlife. Today, however, biodiversity in the UK is under threat.
Farming practices often shoulder the blame, but only 4% of farms monitor biodiversity, as the cost and time to procure an ecologist makes it difficult for farm budgets. Without this data, it’s nearly impossible to identify problems—or solutions.
Introducing the Chirrup Box…
Chirrup’s solution is simple yet transformative. The Chirrup Box, known as a “robot ecologist,” helps farmers track biodiversity on their land. The small device records bird activity over three weeks, providing insights into the species present and their population levels.
For farmers, this data is invaluable. It helps them benchmark their environmental impact, compare practices, and identify ways to farm more sustainably. As Martin Lines from the Nature Friendly Farming Network explains, “[With the recordings], we can identify where we put habitats for the different species we have [...] and how that can underpin my farming business”.
Chirrup’s data also contributes to a larger picture of UK biodiversity, supporting collective action to reverse the decline.
Securing funding to scale
As with many sustainable startups, scaling Chirrup’s vision was a challenge. While funding opportunities exist, securing them can be overwhelming for a small team managing product development and operations. Partnering with Sustainable Ventures was a game-changer, Conrad explains, “We had the vision and the prototype, but we needed help to secure the funding required to scale.”
Our team has collaborated with Chirrup in various ways, offering strategic guidance, design support, and grant funding support, as well as assistance with R&D tax credits and workspace in our County Hall office. This year, we helped secure Chirrup £288k in grant funding from Innovate UK to develop and pilot their mark 3 box, in a project called ChirrupNano.
With this support and grant funding, Chirrup is scaling. Their next-generation device launched recently, enabling them to reach many more farms across the UK. Farmers will gain the tools to monitor and improve biodiversity, meet increased demand from consumers, investors and regulators for reliable data, and create a ripple effect of environmental and economic benefits.
Chirrup’s mission is clear: to restore birdsong to Britain’s countryside by empowering farmers to protect biodiversity. With the right tools and support, they’re well on their way to making it happen.