Enzai, a Belfast-based AI governance startup, has raised £3.2 million in funding.
The proliferation of new AI technologies is pushing organisations of all sizes and across industries and verticals to adopt and develop AI solutions at an exponential rate.
However, in an expanding regulatory environment and a market climate where consumers believe that organisations should bear responsibility for any misapplication of AI technology, leaders need to prioritise its governance.
Businesses in domains that are inherently risky – such as financial services, healthcare and insurance – need to understand, manage, and comply with AI-related risks and regulations.
Providing organisations with a comprehensive toolkit to navigate these complexities, Enzai’s mission is to ensure that powerful AI technologies can gain the level of trust necessary to fulfil their true potential.
Founded in 2021 by Ryan Donnelly, a leading lawyer in the AI regulation space, and Jack Carlisle, a software engineer with extensive startup experience, Enzai brings a unique combination of legal, engineering, and data science expertise to build a solution in this area.
The team of expert lawyers is tracking AI-focused regulatory developments around the world and responding quickly with new frameworks and features to ensure their customers can stay one step ahead.
“We founded Enzai with a clear vision: to empower organisations to harness the incredible potential of AI, while minimising the risks involved,” said Donnelly.
“As AI continues to evolve and permeate every industry, ensuring that it is built and adopted in a responsible, compliant manner has never been more critical. This financing fuels our commitment to enable businesses to innovate in AI with confidence, whilst safeguarding against potential pitfalls, and it paves the way for a future where AI drives both progress and responsibility.”
Enzai enables organisations to build up an inventory of their AI solutions, apply policies and procedures to that AI, and then measure compliance in real-time. ‘Controls’, the platform’s new feature introduces a new paradigm for building and using AI, allowing cross-functional teams to collaborate and conduct assessments of AI systems.
Carlisle added: “We ensure consistency and scalability, enabling organisations of all sizes to manage their AI governance efforts efficiently.
“It facilitates seamless collaboration between business, legal and technical teams, bridging the gap between domain-specific, regulatory and data science expertise.”
The round was led by Cavalry Ventures alongside existing pre-seed investor Techstart Ventures plus Seedcamp and angels including Paul Forster (founder of Indeed.com), Sam Gill (co-founder of Seedcamp-backed Sylvera) and Alexandre Berriche (founder of Fleet).
Seedcamp partner Tom Wilson commented: “We are all dealing with this incredibly powerful new wave of AI technologies.
“At the current rate of development, it is critical that we find ways to harness this development so that it has a positive impact on the world. We’re thrilled to support Enzai as one of the first investments from our new Fund VI.
“The team behind Enzai have identified a really strong way of managing AI risk, and their tech is set to be a foundational part of the AI ecosystem.”