Seldon, a startup based in the U.K., concentrates on specialized development tools designed to enhance machine learning performance. Essentially, this ensures that the artificial intelligence that businesses frequently promote actually functions as intended.

The company has recently secured £7.1 million in a Series A funding round, jointly led by AlbionVC and Cambridge Innovation Capital. This investment round also saw substantial contributions from current investors Amadeus Capital Partners and Global Brain, alongside further investment from existing shareholders. The £7.1 million in funding will be allocated to expedite research and development efforts, support commercial growth, launch Seldon Deploy—a new solution for businesses—and expand the team’s size over the coming 18 months.

To be more precise, Seldon is a machine learning (ML) deployment specialist that operates independently of specific cloud providers, collaborating with prominent industry players like Google, Red Hat, IBM, and Amazon Web Services.

A significant factor in its achievements is its open-source project, Seldon Core, which has facilitated the deployment of over 700,000 models, significantly simplifying the process for users deploying ML models. The company reports that its customers are experiencing productivity improvements of up to 92% through the use of Seldon’s range of products.

Alex Housley, Seldon’s CEO and founder, explained to TechCrunch that organizations are currently applying machine learning to a vast number of applications, “however, a model only delivers genuine value when it is actively operating within a live application.”

“Over the past few years, we’ve observed the emergence of companies specializing in particular segments of the machine learning process, such as training and version control. Our focus is on deployment, enabling organizations to construct a customized AI platform tailored to their specific requirements, thereby achieving a competitive edge,” he stated.

Furthermore, he highlighted that Seldon’s open-source approach prevents vendor lock-in: “Businesses aim to avoid being tied to a single provider and prefer utilizing tools from various sources. This convergence of machine learning, DevOps, and cloud-native tools is driving considerable innovation within both established companies and emerging startups.”

Nadine Torbey, an investor at AlbionVC, commented: “Seldon is pioneering the next generation of technological advancements, and its leadership team demonstrates exceptional foresight. Seldon has successfully cultivated a thriving open-source community and delivers immediate productivity benefits to some of the world’s leading organizations.”

Vin Lingathoti, partner at Cambridge Innovation Capital, noted: “Machine learning has quickly evolved from an optional advantage to a critical necessity for businesses across all sectors. Seldon’s open-source platform streamlines ML model development and accelerates time-to-market by resolving the challenges associated with developing, deploying, and monitoring machine learning models at scale.”