Tech Nation unveils new cohort for AI growth programme
Tech Nation has named 32 companies to join its Applied AI Growth Programme as investment in the sector grows.
The initiative will see the organisation support companies using artificial intelligence (AI).
Entrants were chosen from 179 applications and those joining the programme are applying AI to solve social problems, including tackling disinformation online, diagnosing conditions like cancer, and combating climate change.
These include Panakeia, which is backed by Hoxton Ventures, Entrepreneur First and LocalGlobe, to provide a one-step cancer diagnosis a universal engine for one-step precision cancer diagnosis.
Another is Archangel, which uses AI and drones to track wide areas of land, with wildlife monitoring one such use case to combat poaching.
It comes as research by Tech Nation found the UK leads Europe in AI investment, having raised $1.48bn (£1.07bn) in 2020 so far.
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“The UK must take every opportunity to nurture scalable, globally-competitive, homegrown AI companies that solve real problems and have far-reaching impacts on the productivity potential of the economy,” Harry Rhys Davies, AI programme lead at Tech Nation, said.
“The Applied AI growth programme aims to do exactly this, taking 32 of the UK’s most exciting AI scaleups, and through peer-to-peer learning and mentoring removing many of the unique barriers to growth that companies in this sector face.
“Backed by leading venture capitalists and led by an exceptionally talented group of founders, this cohort of companies is primed to make an impact.”
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