London-based Egregious, a pioneering company developing advanced technologies to protect humans from AI misuse, has secured $1M from Fuel Ventures and Oxford Capital—two leading UK venture capital funds.
The funding will accelerate Egregious’ product development and expand its cutting-edge Human AI platform.
How Egregious protects against AI threats
Founded in July 2023 by Rupert Small, PhD, Egregious aims to protect organisations and the internet from AI-powered deception, misinformation, disinformation, and polarisation. The company’s launch is pivotal as concerns about AI-driven misinformation intensify. With AI technology’s rapid advancement, protecting individuals and organisations from its potential misuse has become increasingly urgent.
Rupert Small, PhD, CEO and Founder of Egregious, commented: “AI-powered bots and agents are a powerful tool but also pose a growing threat. These AI agents give people superhuman powers to shape narratives, manipulate systems, and undermine trust at scale. At Egregious, we’re building a defence line for humanity.”
The World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Risks Report ranked disinformation as the #1 global risk for the second consecutive year, alongside cyber espionage and societal polarisation. This investment marks a crucial milestone in the startup’s mission to safeguard organisations from AI-driven deception, disinformation, and harmful content.
In January 2025, Egregious joined the NVIDIA Inception Program for startups, highlighting its commitment to technological innovation and growth. The company serves as an advanced research and intelligence lab defending humans from AI threats.
The technology behind Egregious’ AI threat detection
Egregious’s focus on narrative security and information resilience distinguishes it in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. The company is developing an advanced AI-powered analysis platform to detect and counter misleading information, sophisticated AI-generated content, and strengthen information security.
Egregious leads the Human AI field, delivering transformative solutions across critical sectors, including national security and defence, finance and corporate security, marketing and communication, cybersecurity, and insurance.
Shaping the future of AI secuirity
While AI-generated misinformation poses significant challenges, AI technologies also offer promising solutions to combat it. The field is evolving into an arms race between those creating false information and those working to detect and prevent its spread.
Mark Pearson, Founder of Fuel Ventures, concluded: “Egregious represents a bold step forward in AI. Rupert and his team have demonstrated exceptional expertise and an unwavering commitment to addressing society’s critical technological challenges. We’re thrilled to support Egregious as they lead the charge in Human AI innovation and look forward to supporting their growth in 2025.”
The post Fuel Ventures and Oxford Capital-backed Egregious snaps $1M to defend humans from AI appeared first on Tech Funding News.