UK Startup Refute Secures £5M to Combat Disinformation with AI

UK-based counter-disinformation firm Refute has secured £5 million in seed funding, signaling a shift in how misinformation defense is approached in an increasingly complex digital landscape. The investment round was led by Amadeus Capital Partners, with participation from Playfair, Episode 1, Osney Capital, and the UK government’s National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF).

Emerging from stealth mode last year, Refute has positioned itself as a defense technology response to what its founders describe as growing “hybrid warfare” tactics. These tactics combine online influence operations, bot networks, artificial intelligence, and human amplification to spread false information.

Unlike previous counter-disinformation efforts that focused primarily on social media content moderation, Refute is taking a different approach by selling directly to governments and commercial organizations facing immediate reputational and operational threats.

“Refute is fundamentally rethinking the business model for disinformation defense,” explained Tom Garnett, CEO and co-founder, in an interview. “Earlier approaches mainly relied on fact-checking for social media platforms, managed by strategic comms firms and external analysts, whereas we are focused on using an AI solution to directly protect governments and commercial organizations from urgent, high-value threats.”

Garnett noted that major platforms like Meta and X (formerly Twitter) have scaled back their content moderation efforts, exposing the limitations of traditional approaches. Refute’s solution employs advanced generative AI to automate both detection and response, allowing the company to operate at scale without the labor-intensive processes that made earlier counter-disinformation initiatives difficult to sustain.

“This direct-to-organisation, product-led approach, combined with growing demand from both public and private sectors due to the geopolitical situation we find ourselves in, has allowed us to build a resilient and sustainable business where others might have struggled,” Garnett said.

The investment comes at a time when disinformation is expected to be a key issue in Europe through 2026, driven by the ongoing Ukraine conflict and upcoming elections across the continent. The diverse investor lineup underscores the increasingly blurred lines between national security concerns and commercial interests.

“The types of threat actors currently proliferating do not distinguish between government and commercial targets,” Garnett observed. “In fact, their tactics and the risks they pose are often identical.”

Refute reports that its technology is already deployed across multiple sectors, serving UK government agencies and organizations in industries including mining and legal services. While the company declined to share specific customer numbers, it indicated that its focus is on critical infrastructure and high-value commercial sectors where disinformation can directly impact safety, markets, or operations.

Recent work by the company illustrates the scale of the problem. During European elections, including Romania’s, Refute identified tens of thousands of inauthentic TikTok videos designed to artificially amplify extremist candidates among expatriate communities.

Over the past year, government-targeted disinformation campaigns have grown both more frequent and more sophisticated, according to Garnett. “Election interference and attempts to erode public trust are especially prevalent, with activity intensifying in the lead-up to major elections across Europe and beyond,” he said, adding that similar campaigns are anticipated elsewhere.

The new funding will primarily support expansion of Refute’s engineering team across Europe and further development of its automated detection and response capabilities. Garnett emphasized the company’s commitment to building a diverse workforce, noting that several team members have firsthand experience living through conflict and disinformation campaigns.

“There is definitely an arms race underway,” he said, referring to the escalating use of generative AI and automation by both attackers and defenders. “Our approach is designed to make advanced disinformation defence accessible not just to large states and well-funded companies, but also to medium and smaller organisations.”

From the investor perspective, Amadeus Capital Partners views Refute as part of its broader portfolio addressing complex, systemic risks. Nick Kingsbury, partner at Amadeus, described disinformation as “a global problem with clear national security implications” and praised Refute’s innovative approach to addressing this challenge.

Whether Refute can succeed where previous counter-disinformation ventures have struggled remains to be seen. Its success will likely hinge on whether organizations come to view information warfare as a critical operational risk rather than merely a public relations challenge. With government backing, venture capital support, and an increasingly tense geopolitical environment, Refute appears well-positioned to capitalize on growing demand for advanced disinformation defense solutions.