With the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) on the rise, disinformation has become a significant threat to companies worldwide. Just like individuals, commercial entities are vulnerable to the effects of disinformation, which can have massive reputational and financial impact.
A New Era of Disinformation
Geopolitical instability and the use of generative AI to create misleading content have fueled the growth of disinformation attacks. These campaigns often target companies, their supply chains, and even their executives. As a result, companies are facing unprecedented challenges in maintaining their reputation and protecting themselves from financial damage.
Enter Refute: A London-Based Startup
Refute is a London-based startup that detects and responds to disinformation on behalf of commercial entities. The company has just secured £2.3 million ($2.9 million) in pre-seed funding, led by U.K. investors Playfair and Episode 1.
Founders with a Deep Understanding
Tom Garnett, co-founder and CEO at Refute, has extensive experience in data analysis, cybersecurity, and tackling terrorist attacks. He previously worked at Detica and BAE Systems, where he built large-scale, data-analysis solutions to investigate criminal activity.
Vlad Galu, co-founder of Refute, grew up in Romania during a time when disinformation was prevalent. He understood firsthand the threat that disinformation poses and has spent years building core internet infrastructure and services in Eastern Europe.
Refute’s Approach
Unlike other companies focused on detection alone, Refute provides both the detection and response part of the solution. This sets them apart in the market, as other approaches are primarily focused on detection.
"We find that existing customers are often using social and media monitoring tools to try and understand the disinformation threat," Garnett told TechCrunch. "But these are passive tools generally designed for marketing purposes… In our experience, such signals are misleading, as noise levels are high and the narrative provenance is obscured."
The Competition
Refute is not alone in this space. Several startups have emerged to tackle the challenge of disinformation, including Alethea (raised $30 million), Blackbird AI ($30.6 million), and Logically AI ($36.7 million). However, Refute’s approach sets them apart from their competitors.
The Investment
Notion Capital and Amadeus Capital Partners also participated in the fundraising round, alongside angel investors Charlie Songhurst, Carlos Espinal, James Chappell, and Alastair Paterson.
Andrew Sheffield, principal at Playfair Capital, said: "The information landscape is changing: it is harder than ever to tell fact from fiction, and the cost of spreading misleading content continues to fall… Tom and Vlad possess 40-plus years of experience in data analysis, cybersecurity, tackling terrorist attacks, identity management, and money laundering."
A Growing Space
As disinformation becomes a growing concern for companies worldwide, it is clear that startups like Refute will play a significant role in helping businesses combat this threat. With its unique approach to detection and response, Refute is poised to become a leading player in the market.
