Loughborough University spinout receives £400,000 investment for transport AI product

TransHumanity, a company spun out of Loughborough University, has secured £400,000 in pre-seed investment. The funding round was led by SFC Capital, with further backing from Plug and Play, a venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley.

The company is developing agentic artificial intelligence systems, designed to support people in achieving specific goals through interaction in plain English. These systems include AI “agents” that can collect data, provide recommendations, and complete tasks, allowing users to work through problems more efficiently.

TransHumanity’s first product, AptIq, aims to support transport authorities by accelerating data analysis. It is intended to reduce the time taken to review transport models from days to seconds. By asking questions in plain English, users can extract insights to support policy areas such as congestion management, road safety, business case development, and environmental targets.

Dr Haitao He, co-founder and director of TransHumanity, said: “I am proud to see my rigorous research translated into trusted real-world AI innovation for the transport sector. With this investment, we can now realise my Future Leaders Fellowship vision, scaling a technology that empowers authorities across the UK to deliver integrated, net-zero transport.”

Adam Beveridge, investment principal at SFC Capital, said: “We are excited to back TransHumanity. The combination of cutting-edge research, a proven founding team, clear market demand, and positive societal impact makes this exactly the kind of high-growth venture we are committed to supporting.”

AptIq is currently undergoing test deployment with Nottingham City Council and Transport for Greater Manchester. TransHumanity intends to roll out the product to other local, regional, and national transport authorities in the UK within the next year.

Source: Loughborough university