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An AI-driven platform has been launched to help improve the quality of applications for up to \u00a3200 million of unclaimed grant support.<\/p>\n
The widespread use of generative AI has driven up the volume of applications, but poor applied AI has seen success rates fall to record lows of just two to three percent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ailsa aims to address the problem and has attracted early-stage backing from Monzo co-founder Gary Dolman and former Tesco Bank CEO Benny Higgins.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It has been founded by tech entrepreneur Rab Meliani who said: \u201cThe irony is that AI has made it easier than ever before to write grant applications, but much harder to submit a good one.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe challenge for businesses isn\u2019t writing \u2013 it\u2019s understanding which opportunities are worth pursuing and what assessors are actually looking for.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAilsa is designed to bridge that gap so everyone in the funding system benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Dolman said: \u201cPublic funding plays a critical role in supporting innovation, but the system can be difficult to navigate. Ailsa is addressing that challenge in a way that reflects how funding decisions are really made, using AI designed around the needs of real businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Higgins, also a former RBS and NatWest retail banking CEO and an adviser to political parties, added: \u201cThe UK deploys billions in grant funding each year, but the process connecting businesses to that capital is inefficient. <\/p>\n
\u201cAilsa\u2019s approach, combining AI with genuine assessment expertise, addresses a real structural problem in how that funding gets allocated.\u201d<\/p>\n
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