COMPANY PROFILE

Stanhope AI

A start-up based in London, we work with the US Department of Defense (DoD) and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to build next-generation generative autonomous decision-making systems that embody…

London, United KingdomFounded 2021Defence

Valuation $25–50M Last recorded · 2026

Headcount <100 Current team size

Total funding $10–50M Disclosed equity funding

Unlock exact values

About Stanhope AI

Stanhope AI is a London deeptech spin-out from University College London and King’s College London founded in 2023 by computational neuroscientist Professor Rosalyn Moran (CEO) and theoretical neurobiologist Professor Karl Friston. It commercialises Active Inference / Free Energy Principle models as edge-deployable “Real World Models” that adapt in real time for robotics, autonomous drones and defence systems, aiming for lean, explainable on-device agency rather than cloud-heavy language models. Technology is being trialled with international partners including defence-related use cases. After a March 2024 €2.6 million (£2.3 million) round led by UCL Technology Fund with Creator Fund and MMC Ventures, Stanhope AI raised €6.7 million ($8 million) Seed funding in February 2026 led by Frontline Ventures with Paladin Capital Group, Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund and follow-on from UCL Technology Fund and MMC Ventures, to advance production-grade adaptive AI for physical autonomy. Sources: EU-Startups 13 Feb 2026; stanhopeai.com.

Source: Dealroom company data