When we first invested in Humanising Autonomy in the summer of 2019, they had a simple but important mission: to redefine how machines interact with humans. This mission is growing in importance every day, as we increasingly interact with autonomous machines – think (semi-)autonomous cars, security cameras’, automated machinery etc. Currently, these machines have a lack of human context, which can lead to inefficient and sometimes dangerous decisions being made.

Since our investment, the team have been realising their mission within urban mobility, helping autonomous vehicles and cars equipped with ADAS systems better interact with humans, creating a safer experience for all. Their human intent prediction technology, which combines AI and behavioural science, understands the full range of pedestrian behaviours and is used to predict human movements using only video camera footage. The output for drivers and fleet managers is real-time alerts of potential safety incidents and information of risky driving situations.

Despite the difficulties faced by the mobility industry during COVID, including an almost complete shut down during 2020, Humanising Autonomy were able to demonstrate the importance of their software, and have secured multiple high value customers and partnerships – including VisionTrack and Streamax. They have also made great headway proving the value proposition within the mobility insurance industry, who see value in the data for risk management and claims processes.

However, mobility is just the beginning, as Humanising Autonomy’s solution has been built to scale cross industry, and is widely applicable to other industries from construction to retail. That’s why we are extremely excited to support their recently announced $11m Series A round, led by Beacon Capital and Emellience Partners, the strategic investment arm of Nihon Unisys Group.

Maya, Leslie and Raunaq have done an excellent job building a diverse and passionate team of over 30 people, and are looking to add more great talent post this round. We look forward to continuing to support them and their mission.