StanhopeAI

Agentic AI based on Active Inference.

Team from Stanhope AI sat outside watching drone demonstration

Stanhope AI is a deep-tech spinout with a strong background in neuroscience and robotics. It is bringing Active Inference to the market, enabling AI to make autonomous decisions, offering true intelligence with critical human explainability and reliability. 

The company was founded by a team of globally-renowed experts in AI, including Professor Karl Friston from UCL's Institute of Neurology, Professor Rosalyn Moran formerly of King's College, and Dr Biswa Sengupta MD for AI Products and the Cloud Platform in the Corporate & Investment Bank at J.P. Morgan.

The Stanhope journey so far:

  • 2021: StanhopeAI is founded 
  • 2024: The company announced it has attracted £2.3 million in additional funding 
  • 2026: Stanhope AI Raises $8 million as “Real World AI Model” Gains Momentum Beyond LLMs
  • 2026: Stanhope AI named in the Barclays Eagle Labs 'Ones to Watch AI:100', highlighting the UK deep tech companies building the next generation of AI

Team

Professor Rosalyn Moran

Co-founder and CEO

She was deputy director of King’s Institute for AI and deputy head of the Department of Neuroimaging at KCL, leading the development of the Free Energy Principle for application to AI.

Professor Karl Friston

Co-founder and Scientific Advisor

A theoretical neuroscientist and authority on brain imaging, Professor Friston invented statistical parametric mapping (SPM), voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and dynamic causal modelling (DCM).

Dr Biswa Sengupta, Techical Advisor

Marina Santilli

Interim Director of Physical Sciences & Engineering

Marina has specialised in the commercialisation of computer science and AI-based inventions and deep tech venture building since joining UCL Ventures in 2007. She headed straight into industry after graduating in Physics from Imperial College, enjoying a successful career in datacomms engineering and becoming Director of new product development at Verizon.

In 2010 she designed and developed E-lucid, a platform to enable online licensing of UCL’s intellectual property. E-lucid is now used by over 30 research institutions around the world and was spun out as a commercial business in 2023.

Marina was involved in the formation of many successful UCL spinouts including Satalia, Re:infer, 3DRepo, MatrixMill, Humanloop, Stanhope AI.