Ex-DeepMind researchers raise $50M to build AI that figures out which scientific questions are worth asking
London AI lab Inherent raised $50M from Index Ventures and Radical Ventures to build self-improving AI for scientific discovery. Ex-UK AI tsar Matt Clifford advises.
Inherent’s Faraday Platform
Inherent emerged from stealth on Wednesday with a $50 million seed round co-led by Index Ventures and Radical Ventures. Nvidia’s venture arm NVentures, along with Ex/Ante, Metaplanet, Macroscopic Ventures, and Mythos Ventures, also participated. It is among Europe’s largest AI stealth-to-launch rounds in 2026.
The founding team comprises individuals with DeepMind, Microsoft, and Reka AI backgrounds:
- Tantum Collins and Edward Hughes previously collaborated on cooperative AI research at DeepMind.
- Louis Kirsch, another co-founder, also worked at DeepMind.
- Kaloyan Aleksiev came from Reka AI and Microsoft.
Collins brings a policy background uncommon among AI lab founders. He worked on AI policy at the Biden White House before co-founding Inherent. Matt Clifford, co-founder of Entrepreneurs First and the UK government’s former AI tsar, has joined as an adviser.
Faraday: AI-Native Science
Inherent is building a platform called Faraday, named after the scientist. Unlike AI designed to answer questions faster, Faraday aims to figure out which questions are worth asking in the first place.
"Most AI is built to answer questions. What it can’t do yet is figure out which questions are worth asking… That’s the gap Inherent is building into." – Danny Rimer, partner at Index Ventures.
Faraday pairs human researchers with AI agents designed to improve themselves iteratively on hard scientific problems, a paradigm Inherent calls "AI-native science". This approach diverges from the traditional scientific method practiced for the past 400 years.
Public Benefit Corporation
Inherent is structured as a public benefit corporation, a legal form that requires the company to consider its impact on society alongside shareholder returns. This unusual structure signals that the founders view governance as a competitive advantage rather than a constraint.
European AI startups are raising funds at scales previously reserved for Silicon Valley. Inherent’s $50 million seed round follows notable raises by other European AI companies, such as Peec AI’s $10 million ARR in six months, Lovable’s $100 million single-month revenue, and Mistral’s $300 million ARR.