Refute secures £5 million to scale AI-driven defences against disinformation

Online manipulation was once considered a peripheral concern, but it has now evolved into a sophisticated weapon that poses a strategic risk to both state institutions and private enterprises.

Refute, founded in 2024 by Tom Garnett and Vlad Galu, offers an AI platform aimed at identifying and neutralising coordinated influence operations. The system integrates diverse public data streams to detect early-stage signals of digital manipulation, providing users with actionable intelligence and automated response strategies to outpace adversaries.

The London-based start-up recently secured £5 million in seed funding, led by Amadeus Capital Partners and with participation from the National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF), Episode 1, Playfair, and Osney Capital. Refute intends to use this capital to develop its technology, with the aim of establishing advanced disinformation defence as a core component of the modern security ecosystem.

Sources: Refute | Crunchbase

Founders: Tom Garnett, Vlad Galu