Simplifai, an AI company with bases in Huddersfield and Newcastle, is to establish new premises to develop its technology in Manchester and open an AI Research Centre in the North of England.
The company has secured a £250,000 co-investment from an Angel Investor, GC Angels and E2E Capital Ventures to enable this.
Initiated by Keith McCabe to address his frustration about the state of transport technology, Simplifai was founded following a 2017 Innovate UK research project with the University of Huddersfield.
Alongside Professor Lee McCluskey, Keith sought to use AI to solve the problem of traffic congestion, a £15 billion annual problem for the United Kingdom.
Using the same scheduling technology used in space flight, Simplifai generates real-time traffic control strategies to solve complex issues that are currently poorly managed. Its approach allows it to tackle many traffic problems through simple software configuration and AI reasoning rather than new hardware, which can be expensive and time-consuming to deploy.
In addition to setting up a new base in Manchester, the investment from an Angel Investor, GC Angels and E2E Capital Ventures will enable Simplifai to expand its team and expand its relationship with Transport for Greater Manchester and the Greater Manchester based NHS Northern Care Alliance.
Simplifai will also look to use the investment to develop its AI technology for health services in Manchester. The company is already working with the NHS in North Manchester to consider improvements to the way in which appointments are scheduled.
These improvements could include avoiding scheduling appointments for patients with respiratory conditions at times when air quality is poor and could reduce the huge backlog in appointments of people with these conditions.
“This revolutionary tech goes beyond reducing journey times. Simplifai has implications for reducing the carbon footprint of cities and supporting the COVID recovery,” said CEO and co-founder McCabe.
“It was important for us to work with investors who want to see businesses growing in the North, and GC Angels and E2E shared that passion.
“Despite the difficult circumstances of the pandemic, the teams bent over backwards to help us secure this funding round, and we can’t wait to open up our new base in Manchester.”
Jess Jackson, head of investment at GC Angels, said: “Simplifai is a smart piece of tech with crucial implications.
“The innovative applications of the tech could have a huge impact on health services in Manchester, and it’s great to see Keith and the team choose this city as the hub for developing these links. We are proud to have worked with E2E to close off this significant funding round.”