REG - Sure Ventures PLC - Sure Valley Ventures £1.5m investment in Vizgard

Sure VenturesAnnouncement

23/01/2025 07:00

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RNS Number : 3446U  Sure Ventures PLC  23 January 2025

Sure Ventures PLC

 

New investment: Sure Valley Ventures UK Software Technology Fund

Sure Valley Ventures leads £1.5 million investment in Vizgard

 

 

Sure Ventures is a London listed venture capital fund which invests in
early-stage software companies in the rapidly growing technology areas of
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality ('AR'), Virtual Reality ('VR')
and the Internet of Things ('IoT'). We are pleased to announce a new
investment via its exposure to Sure Valley Ventures UK Software Technology
Fund.

 

The Sure Valley team has led a £1.5 million funding round for Vizgard
(https://vizgard.com/) , a cutting-edge AI company specialising in distributed
AI solutions for defence and public safety applications. This funding will
accelerate Vizgard's ambition to enhance camera-based systems' capabilities
through its proprietary FortifAI software platform. The funding round also
included participation from Midwich Ignite (https://www.midwichignite.com/)
and Focal (https://www.gofocal.vc/) .

 

Vizgard's FortifAI platform is able to leverage low-power, commercially
available processors to enhance systems such as security cameras,
counter-drone technologies, and unmanned vehicles. By combining traditional
computer vision with advanced Deep Learning models, FortifAI offers precise,
real-time threat identification, automatic camera control, and
privacy-preserving features like face blurring.

Founded in 2021 by former Royal Navy submariner Alex Kehoe, Vizgard addresses
critical gaps in defence AI implementation, as highlighted by the House of
Commons Defence Committee. The company has secured significant contracts from
the Ministry of Defence, HMGCC Co-Creation, several leading defence technology
companies and a major UK transport organisation. Vizgard's customers include
Sesanti, a leading British camera manufacturer and multiple national-remit
police departments. The company is also part of a 12m Innovation UL
consortium.

Director comment-Gareth Burchell

"This looks like another high-quality AI software company, identified by the
Sure Valley Ventures team, that plays into the AI plan announced by the UK
Government on the 13(th) of January. The experience of the founder, the
organisations and Businesses they are working with and the scale of the
opportunity is exactly what our shareholders are looking for".

Gareth Burchell

Sure Ventures plc

+44 (0) 20 7186 9918

 

 

 

 

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