Ares Intelligence, a London-based startup developing an evidence-based platform for AI transformation, has secured €2.6 million in new funding. The investment round was backed by venture capital firms Creandum and Lakestar, alongside angel investors connected to Google DeepMind. Richard Keuntje, Vice President at Creandum, noted that while current enterprise AI efforts focus heavily on coding, the broader opportunity across the rest of the business remains largely untapped as organizations are just beginning their adoption journey.
Founded in 2026 by Matt Falconer and Alfie Ranstead, Ares Intelligence was created to address a specific gap the founders identified while running their previous automation company, Instruct. They observed that customers often wanted to automate business processes but lacked a reliable method to determine where to begin. To solve this, the startup developed a platform that deploys an AI interviewer capable of holding confidential, voice-based conversations with every employee in an organization across more than 70 languages. Within weeks, leadership receives a prioritized, evidence-led roadmap identifying specific areas where AI can save time and money.
The platform is designed to be GDPR and SOC 2 compliant, featuring anonymization controls that allow businesses to mask names, redact voices, or strip role metadata before reports reach leadership. Companies can deploy the solution on their own cloud infrastructure or utilize Ares' servers in the EU or the US, with data retention windows set by the business itself. The founders state that this entire process, ranging from training employees on AI capabilities to conducting interviews and drafting recommendations, takes weeks rather than the months typically required by traditional consulting firms.
Ares Intelligence's approach shifts away from top-down AI strategies that rely solely on senior managers. Instead, the company's AI interviewer captures knowledge from the individuals closest to daily operations, identifying issues such as manual workarounds, broken handoffs, and the use of unapproved AI tools. Falconer, co-founder and CEO, emphasized that while many European businesses know they need to adopt AI, they often lack a starting point. He added that the people doing the work possess significant knowledge about where AI could make a difference but are rarely asked, and this funding will help expand the company's reach.
Since its launch approximately seven months ago, Ares Intelligence has signed enterprise customers across Europe and the United States. Tremonia, a Mercedes-Benz spin-out, utilized the platform to uncover more than 400 hours of avoidable manual work per month within four weeks of interviewing staff ranging from senior leadership to the paint shop floor. Enrico Mellis, Venture Partner at Lakestar, highlighted the importance of bridging the gap between AI ambition and real-world evidence, noting that the company's ability to gather insights from those closest to the work is a key differentiator. The fresh capital will be used to expand operations and bring this AI-driven workforce intelligence to more businesses.
Sources: EU-Startups.