Britain's £500M sovereign AI fund backs Augur — and hands it time on Isambard-AI

The UK government's £500m sovereign venture fund is investing in Augur, a British startup that uses AI to update the country's surveillance network.

Augur says its technology can transform fragmented sensor networks into a real-time intelligence layer for national security and public safety. Unlike traditional CCTV, which records footage for later review, Augur aims to improve security teams' ability to identify risks as they develop. Its tech is used by Transport for London and, according to the company, can help improve security and monitor crowds.

The Sovereign AI Fund did not disclose the specific amount it is investing in Augur. Broadly, the fund writes cheques of between £5m and £10m, leading and following on investment rounds, and usually invests at Seed and Series A.

Alongside the capital, the fund is giving Augur access to Isambard-AI, the UK's most powerful AI supercomputer. Augur will use the machine to train large, complex multi-camera datasets.

In a statement, the Sovereign AI Fund said it was partnering with Augur because "Britain needs this capability and should own it," adding that the technology that helps keep the country safe should be built there too, by a team that has shown better security and privacy can go together.

Augur's founders include two former Palantir executives. In June, the startup raised $15 million in a seed round led by Plural.

The Sovereign AI Fund invests across areas ranging from AI model development to AI drug discovery to agentic AI. Its existing portfolio includes AI infrastructure startup Callosum, AI designer Olix and AI drug discovery company Isomorphic Labs.