Serial founder raises pre-seed for AI that spots UK building projects before they start
What's the deal? Atlian, a UK startup that uses AI to identify construction projects at the planning stage and connect them with insurance brokers, has raised a pre-seed round. Fuel VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led, joined by SyndicateRoom's Access EIS, the GI Network, and angel investors including Chris Mairs CBE, who co-founded MetaswitchDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
What's the endgame? The money will take Atlian through its commercial launch and fund its first senior hire. Its free tool for brokers, WhoWritesThis.co.uk, has handled nearly 1,000 searches since launching this month, with the first brokers signing on in November.
Why now? Atlian says more than 728,000 construction projects are live across the UK at any time, yet brokers often hear about jobs only after rivals have already quoted. "Britain builds £200bn a year and still insures it like it's 1995," said founder and chief executive James Buckley-Thorp.
Who's behind it? Bath-born Buckley-Thorp previously founded retail tech firm Rupert and Buckley, which made the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 before he sold it in 2016. He also founded BequestDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, billed as Britain's first life insurance app, and was part of the early team at Zego, Britain's first insurtech unicorn.
What else? The deal is the first investment by GI Network, a UKBAA-accredited angel syndicate backed by a 3,000-strong investor community. "We wanted our first investment to show exactly what our members can back: a founder who has done it before, going after a huge market that technology has barely touched," said syndicate lead Mark James.
The signal: Investors are warming to AI that tracks construction projects: progress-monitoring rival Buildots raised $130 million in September, taking its total to $297 million. Atlian targets a different slice — insurance distribution — betting that a market valued by Fuel Ventures as "ripe for AI-driven transformation" has barely been touched.
Read more: thebusinessdesk.com
Image credit: Archives New Zealand
