Microsoft fund backs British AI predictions start-up Mantic

A London-based start-up which claims to have built an AI system capable of predicting global events has raised funds from a group of investors including Microsoft's ventures arm.

Sky News has learnt that ManticAI, whose founders include a former Google DeepMind engineer, has raised over $20m in a funding round jointly led by Balderton - one of the early backers of Revolut - and Radical Ventures, a Canadian investment fund.

Sources said that M12, Microsoft's ventures arm, was also participating in the round, while a major news organisation is also said to be an investor.

ManticAI emerged from stealth just over a year ago, and made headlines by beating a number of human forecasters in a competition to predict events ranging from hostilities between Donald Trump and Elon Musk to Kemi Badenoch being removed from the Conservative party leadership.

Its offering is of particular interest in an increasingly volatile world, where geopolitical events are reshaping economies and industries at an unprecedented pace.

The company previously raised a smaller seed funding round which included capital from Episode1 Ventures.

ManticAI is one of a breed of so-called superforecasters which are not beset by human behavioural biases and therefore are seen to possess long-term potential for making more accurate predictions.

Its founders, Toby Shevlane and Ben Day, have also persuaded high-profile angel investors from companies such as Anthropic to back them.

One source said the new round of funding was being raised at a valuation of close to $90m (£67.4m).

Mantic has been approached for comment.

(c) Sky News 2026: Microsoft fund backs British AI predictions start-up Mantic