A new AI platform is launching to address a growing quality problem in UK grant applications.
Ailsa has attracted early-stage backing from Monzo co-founder Gary Dolman and former Tesco Bank CEO Benny Higgins.
As the widespread use of generative AI drives application volumes up, success rates have fallen to record lows.
Despite billions of pounds being channelled through non-dilutive funding programmes each year, recent Innovate UK Smart Grant competitions reported success rates of just 2-3%.
An estimated £200 million in available UK grant funding went unclaimed in the past year, with sector bodies noting that poorly applied AI is adding to assessment workloads without improving application quality.
Founded by tech entrepreneur Rab Meliani, Ailsa combines artificial intelligence with human grant expertise to help businesses identify relevant funding opportunities and improve the quality of applications submitted.
The platform’s approach reflects a shift in how the funding sector is thinking about AI: away from automating application volume and toward improving signal quality for both applicants and assessors.
“The irony is that AI has made it easier than ever before to write grant applications, but much harder to submit a good one,” said Meliani.
“The challenge for businesses isn’t writing – it’s understanding which opportunities are worth pursuing and what assessors are actually looking for.
“Ailsa is designed to bridge that gap so everyone in the funding system benefits.”
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Dolman said: “Public funding plays a critical role in supporting innovation, but the system can be difficult to navigate. Ailsa is addressing that challenge in a way that reflects how funding decisions are really made, using AI designed around the needs of real businesses.”
Higgins, also a former RBS and NatWest retail banking CEO, added: “The UK deploys billions in grant funding each year, but the process connecting businesses to that capital is inefficient. Ailsa’s approach, combining AI with genuine assessment expertise, addresses a real structural problem in how that funding gets allocated.”
Ailsa is initially focused on grant funding, with plans to expand into procurement and international funding programmes in the near future.