Multiverse, an AI powered workforce development platform fronted by Tony Blair’s son Euan, is opening a technology hub in Edinburgh.
The company last month raised $70 million and has appointed former Amazon executive Colin Mackenzie as its first VP AI Engineering to lead the hub which will focus on developing agentic products.
Mr Mackenzie built the generative AI platform that powers Amazon’s AI advertising products. Previously, he held senior engineering roles at Virgin Money and Clydesdale Bank, saw a startup through to a successful exit, and founded his own business.
As part of its broader expansion, Multiverse is aiming to create 200 jobs in the next year across the Edinburgh office and its London HQ.
This, it says, will fuel its mission to translate AI’s potential into practical outcomes for employers across the UK and Europe.
The new funding will aim to drive growth across Europe. It was led by Schroders Capital, with participation from existing investors including General Catalyst, Lightspeed Venture Partners, D1 Capital Partners, Index Ventures, Bond, and StepStone Group.
Announcing the finance package last month, Mr Blair said:”There are companies who desperately need the benefits AI can bring. There are AI companies. What has been missing is the layer that bridges the two. This investment marks the moment Multiverse defines that category, and takes it across Europe.
“Getting outcomes from AI and unlocking productivity is not just a technology problem. It is a people problem. We exist to solve it.”
Commenting on his appointment to lead the new Edinburgh hub, Mr Mackenzie said: “AI is changing how people work faster than they can retrain for it, and without equitable access to AI skills a lot of people get displaced and left behind.
“We need to innovate at pace to solve this problem, and thankfully Scotland has the world class AI talent required to help us do it. When we get it right, we change lives at a national scale.”
Jay Richman, chief product & technology officer, said: “We’re building the AI adoption layer for UK and European employers. That requires depth in the product, and in the team building it.
“The market problem is significant: AI capability is advancing faster than workforces can absorb it, and employers are under real pressure to close that gap.
“Edinburgh gives us access to additional world class engineering talent, Colin brings the track record to lead it, and our model of pairing high agency junior engineers with senior practitioners means we’re building capability as well as headcount.”
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