A Chat with Louise Thomas, Co-Founder & Chief Executive at Air Aware Labs

Tell us about Air Aware Labs

Air Aware Labs (AAL) is a pioneering health tech startup founded by me and Dr. Will Hicks. The company is built around a powerful mission: to make the invisible risk of air pollution visible, actionable, and personal. Air pollution is one of the most pressing yet often overlooked public health crises of our time. In the UK alone, around 90% of the population breathes toxic air on a daily basis, contributing to widespread ill health, increased pressure on the NHS, and significant economic costs.

Air Aware Labs seeks to address this problem by empowering individuals with insights that allow them not just to understand their exposure to harmful air, but to enable them to proactively reduce their exposure and protect their health. 

At its core, the company is not just a technology venture – it’s a health movement. By combining cutting-edge science, advanced data modelling, and user-friendly design, AAL aims to transform how we think about clean air. The team behind the company is a multidisciplinary group spanning expertise in air quality science, technology, medicine, product design, and policy. Together, we are creating tools that give everyone – from parents to commuters, athletes to employers – the ability to take charge of their health by controlling what they breathe.

How did you come up with the idea for the company?

The origin of Air Aware Labs is rooted in both personal experience and academic expertise. For me, the spark came through increased awareness of the issue, and raising my children in London. I became involved in a school project about local air quality and quickly realised how little control people have over their daily exposure to air pollution. This realisation prompted me to want to try and do something about and subsequently, I left my 20+ year career in government to fully commit to building a solution. 

For Will, the journey began with his academic research. He completed a PhD in air pollution science at Imperial College, focusing on the pervasive effects of pollutants on the body. During the COVID lockdown, while taking up running, he noticed how dramatically air quality could shift, even along the same route. We met through a venture building programme and immediately connected over our shared passion for tackling this invisible health risk. From there, we decided to turn our complementary expertise into a venture that could empower ordinary people with real-time, personalised data about air pollution.

Tell us about your core product or service: AirTrack

The flagship product of Air Aware Labs is AirTrack, a health-tech solution that provides real-time, hyperlocal air pollution insights. Unlike traditional air quality data, which is often static, averaged across large areas, or updated only once a day, AirTrack gives each user a personalised view of their exposure. It’s like carrying a mini air pollution lab in your pocket.

By leveraging AI and algorithm-based modelling, AirTrack turns large amounts of environmental data into actionable insights. The product analyses local conditions dynamically, tailoring outputs to each user’s movements and behaviours. This means runners can choose the cleanest routes, parents can plan safer school commutes, and commuters can minimise their exposure on busy roads. AirTrack isn’t only about raising awareness – it’s about translating data into meaningful action that directly impacts health outcomes.

We recently launched our Cleaner Routes feature, which helps users plan to find the healthiest, lowest-pollution paths for their daily walks, runs, rides or commutes. This means AirTrack now offers personalised route suggestions tailored to activity and location, safety scores and optimal times of day for routes and tracking of personal exposure to key pollutants like PM2.5 and NO2. AirTrack seamlessly synchronises with Strava, Apple Health and Google Health Connect too, complementing other health insights that have become part of everyday behaviour such as movement, nutrition and sleep. 

Whilst there are options to experience additional features such as enhanced air quality analysis through a premium version of AirTrack, we have purposely ensured that the basic plan remains free to use. We want to ensure accessibility and encourage as many people as possible to consider air quality in the same way they do other aspects of health and wellbeing.  

What most excites you about the health tech industry?

For us it’s the benefits and potential of bringing previously invisible aspects of health into everyday decision-making. Wearable tech and health apps like Whoop, Oura and Zoe, among others, have already demonstrated the power of tracking sleep, nutrition, and fitness and their ability to transform lifestyles. We believe that air quality is the next evolution in this movement. When you give people the opportunity to be more informed and act on an issue that affects them, they will often embrace it. 

Air pollution is deeply personal but largely overlooked because it can’t be seen or felt in the same way as other health indicators. The health tech sector is uniquely positioned to change that. By integrating pollution data into people’s lives in a clear, accessible, and actionable way, we are not only innovating but also redefining what personalised health means. 

Ultimately, air quality is a global issue causing over 8 million premature deaths annually. It ranks as the second leading cause of death worldwide – but for too long, people have lacked the practical tools to make more informed choices about their exposure during daily movement. Health tech businesses, and an ever-expanding exciting community of innovative start-ups, are looking to step in with solutions where governments, public and larger private sector organisations potentially can’t. 

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome along the way?

Like many startups, we’ve faced significant challenges on our journey. Will would probably say one of the hardest aspects has been maintaining unwavering belief in the company’s mission. Building a completely new category – essentially a health metric that few people are accustomed to tracking – requires resilience in the face of doubt, rejection, and shifting external conditions. As an early-stage startup we’ve faced last-minute funding withdrawals and unpredictable market dynamics. Holding on to self-belief while rallying a team to stay motivated has been a defining challenge.

For me, the biggest surprise has been how long everything takes, even when working with passion and urgency. That said, I’ve also discovered that the startup ecosystem is more collaborative and supportive than it might first appear. Peer networks, accelerators, and mentors have provided invaluable support in moments when progress felt daunting.

What is your number one piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs?

No two days are the same and being an entrepreneur often means wearing a million hats and spinning a million plates. I think overall, my advice would be to stay true to your mission. Belief in what you’re doing and why you’re doing it needs to be non-negotiable. When you are trying to create a new category or shift established behaviours, doubt will inevitably creep in. Anchoring yourself in your mission gives you the fuel, persistence and perseverance to make tough decisions when you need to and to pick yourself up in moments of challenge or adversity. 

What can we hope to see from Air Aware Labs in the future?

Looking ahead, we have ambitious goals. We’ve been encouraged by the growing awareness that seems to be happening on the issue of air pollution through evidence-based studies and frequent national media reporting, but the world needs to move faster on the issue and individual empowerment has a huge part to play. 

Today, we already have a presence in over 100 countries, and our vision is to scale AirTrack into every major city worldwide. Our aim is to empower millions of people to take control of their exposure to air pollution, while also influencing policy decisions by highlighting where risks are most acute.  

In the next five years, we aspire to not only expand our global reach but also to play a role in reshaping urban environments into cleaner, healthier spaces. If we could influence one piece of legislation to improve air quality, it would be for the UK and other countries to meet the World Health Organization guidelines on air quality. Now that really would be a breath of fresh air.