Greentech Rookwood Operations raises £800k led by British Business Bank and The FSE Group
This article covers Rookwood Operations, a greentech startup, which has raised £800k in a seed funding round to commercialise a nature-based process that removes phosphate from waterways and returns it to agricultural soils. The development aims to support water companies, landowners and farmers by providing a nutrient-recovery solution that could help meet tightening phosphorus removal requirements and reduce reliance on imported phosphate fertiliser.
Rookwood Operations has raised £800,000 in a seed funding round to commercialise a nature-based process that removes phosphate from waterways and returns it to agricultural soils. The round includes a £550,000 equity investment from the British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund, routed through The FSE Group, alongside backing from Sustainable Ventures and private angels. The company has also won a separate £700,000 Innovate UK award to support deployment and scaling.
Why it matters
Phosphate pollution is a persistent driver of poor water quality across UK rivers and lakes, and regulators are increasing pressure on water companies to act. Ofwat has approved around £4.9 billion of phosphorus removal investment for 2025 to 2030, signalling both regulatory and commercial demand for mitigation technologies. At the same time the UK relies on imported phosphate fertiliser for food production, exposing farming to supply risks and price volatility. Rookwood’s approach touches both issues by extracting a pollutant and turning it into a reusable nutrient.
Inside the product
Rookwood Operations is deploying a nature-based technology that captures phosphate from water and recovers it as a product usable on farmland. The company says this creates a closed-loop alternative to mined or imported phosphate fertiliser while helping water companies meet tighter chemical standards.
The company is already trialling and deploying its system with partners including Bristol Water, a regional water company testing mitigation options, and Yorkshire Dales National Park, which represents conservation and land‑management stakeholders interested in improving catchment health. Rookwood has also attracted public visibility — it was featured on BBC Countryfile — and gained recognition from advisers who nominated its work for the Earthshot Prize. Those partnerships and endorsements are intended to support validation, regulatory alignment and customer acquisition as Rookwood scales production and expands to more sites.
Who are the investors?
The announced £800,000 seed round is led in part by a £550,000 equity investment from the British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund, deployed through The FSE Group. Remaining capital comes from Sustainable Ventures and a syndicate of private angels. Separately, Rookwood has secured a £700,000 Innovate UK award aimed at accelerating commercial deployment.
The FSE Group frames the investment as backing a business that combines commercial potential with environmental impact; The FSE Group works with growth-stage firms across the region and typically provides both capital and commercial support. Sustainable Ventures is an early-stage investor that focuses on climate and resource-efficient businesses; its participation aligns Rookwood with other circular-economy ventures in its portfolio.
Laurie Jones, Investment Manager at The FSE Group, said:
The Rookwood team has developed a compelling solution to a nationally significant environmental challenge, combining strong commercial potential with clear environmental impact. With growing regulatory drivers and increasing demand for phosphorus mitigation, the business is well positioned to scale its technology and create long-term value. We're delighted to support Jane and the wider team as they enter their next phase of growth.
Lizzy Upton, Associate Director at British Business Bank, said:
Rookwood is turning an environmental challenge into a commercial opportunity, with technology that improves water quality while recovering a valuable resource for agriculture. It is a strong example of how the South West Investment Fund is supporting the UK’s Industrial Strategy by backing innovative businesses with significant potential to scale.
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Founder perspective
Jane Pearce, CEO of Rookwood Operations, framed the company’s work as practical and interconnected rather than abstract environmentalism. Jane Pearce, CEO, said:
People often treat water quality, farming and economic growth as if they live in different universes. They don’t. They’re tightly connected, and phosphate is one of the clearest examples of that. We remove it from places it’s causing damage and return it to places it’s genuinely useful. It’s not complicated - it’s just sensible. This investment lets us scale faster, bring more people into the team, and tackle two of the UK’s growing risks head-on: nutrient scarcity and freshwater pollution, both of which threaten long-term food and economic stability.
Founded in 2022 and based near Wells in Somerset, Rookwood plans to use the new capital to strengthen commercial capability, scale up production and broaden deployment across water company sites, landowners and environmental organisations.
The bigger picture
Rookwood sits at the intersection of environmental regulation, resource security and the circular economy. Increasing Ofwat-driven spending on phosphorus removal creates a market opportunity for technologies that can both meet compliance needs and reduce reliance on imported fertiliser. For greentech investors, companies that can demonstrate tangible water-quality improvement and a credible route to selling recovered nutrients are becoming more attractive.
The deal also illustrates how blended capital — equity from regional funds, strategic climate investors and public innovation grants such as Innovate UK — is being used to de‑risk early commercialisation of environmental technologies. If Rookwood can scale cost-effectively, it may point to a repeatable model for nutrient recovery across the UK and Europe, where water quality and agricultural resilience remain policy priorities.
They've invested in Rookwood Operations
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| Investors | Investment Focus | Startup Investments | Round Size | Connect |
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 British Business Bank's South West Investment Fund( ) | ||||
 The FSE Group( ) FSE Group focuses on supporting high growth businesses through business loans an... London  | ||||
 Sustainable Ventures( ) | ||||
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