Egregious, an artificial intelligence (AI) firm that seeks to combat social media and other types of deception has raised $1 million in a Pre-seed round.
Egregious was backed by Fuel Ventures and Oxford Capital, which led the funding.
Oxford Capital focuses on EIS/SEIS-qualified firms for its investors, having committed over £500 million to more than 100 early-stage firms.
Rupert Small, PhD, CEO and founder of Egregious, explained that AI bots pose a growing threat as these “agents” have superhuman powers” to shape narratives and manipulate perception around the world. Small said the funding provided means they are “ready to face these global challenges head-on and redefine how we combat AI-driven deception.”
Egregioius solutions are said to target:
- National Security and Defence: providing private and secure Social Media Intelligence (SOCMINT)
- Finance & Corporate Security: safeguarding enterprises from personnel risk, market manipulation, and AI-driven scams
- Marketing & Communications: driving AI-powered multi-platform social media marketing strategies
- Cybersecurity: detecting and mitigating open-source intelligence (OSINT) risks
- Insurance: Enabling insurers to identify and assess global security threats through AI-driven social media intelligence.
AI deception, misinformation, disinformation and polarisation.
Egregious is said to have already developed a portfolio of products including social media tools. As most people know, social media is already a hotbed of misinformation and hyperbole. While efforts have improved to counter fake claims, like X’s use of fact checking, growing use of AI will make it more challenging to unearth nefarious activity – especially by state actors.
Mark Pearson, Founder of Fuel Ventures, described Egregious as a “bold step forward” in addressing these critical challenges.
“We’re thrilled to support Egregious as they lead the charge in Human AI innovation, and look forward to supporting them grow in 2025.”
