An Australian startup that launched an AI platform used by councils and water utilities to automate assessments for stormwater and sewerage pipelines is planning to expand after announcing it has raised $700,000 in seed funding.

VAPAR was founded in 2018 to provide smart solutions for the tracking, repair and maintenance of water infrastructure.

CEO Amanda Siqueira has a background in civil engineering and interned with Sydney Water before starting the company with her university friend Michelle Aguilar, a mechatroncis engineer and VAPAR’s CTO.

Ms Siquera says the technology provides an alternative to laborious video inspections which she worked with during her intern days.

The company claims its cloud engineering software can complete an inspection review in two minutes and reduce costs by more than 30 per cent.

“We’ve been able to solve a clear and complex problem for utilities and councils using the latest technologies, all while aligning with engineering standards that government organisations demand,” Ms Siquera said in a statement.

“We’re excited about our next phase of growth and working with our investors to address market demand.”

Michael Batko, CEO of investor Startmate, said VAPAR was identified as “one of the first movers in the space” and pioneers in the global critical services water market, and he was excited to be backing its expansion.

The company is currently used by Sydney Water, SA Water, City of Ryde, Blacktown City Council and Campbelltown City Council and is now looking overseas.

VAPAR has also recently announced the recruitment of machine learning expert and former CSIRO Data61 scientist Saeed Amirgholipour as its lead AI and data scientist.

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