Stanhope AI, a London-based deep tech startup pioneering brain-inspired artificial intelligence, has raised £6 million in a seed round led by Frontline Ventures, with participation from Paladin Capital Group and Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund, and follow-on investment from UCL Technology Fund and MMC Ventures. It is advancing its Real World Model, a framework for adaptive intelligence designed to function in dynamic, physical environments beyond the limitations of large language models.
Founded in 2023 by computational neuroscientist Rosalyn Moran, drawing on the work of co-founder Karl Friston of UCL’s Institute of Neurology, Stanhope AI applies the Free Energy Principle through a brain-inspired paradigm known as 'Active Inference'. This approach enables machines to learn and adapt through continuous perception and action, addressing the lack of on-the-fly adaptation in systems that rely on large static data sets.
Its technology is being tested in autonomous drone and robotics applications with international partners, with a focus on behaviour in unpredictable, real-world environments. The models are designed to run efficiently on-device using minimal data and energy, supporting deployment in autonomous systems, defence technology, industrial automation, and embedded devices.
The investment follows a broader shift from cloud-based AI to on-device systems, highlighted at CES 2026. With the new funding, Stanhope AI is positioned to scale partnerships and field trials across multiple sectors during 2026, including defence and aerospace, where reliability under uncertain conditions is critical.
