NPIF buys into Lancaster's Relative Insight

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund has invested into early-stage tech company Relative Insight.

Born out of a Lancaster University University research project, its language analysis technology was initially used by law enforcement to identify criminals masquerading as children in chat rooms.

The same methods are now applied to help brands interact and communicate more effectively with their audiences. The company’s current client base includes Disney and Unilever, in addition to its crime detection.

Maven Capital Partners has invested on behalf of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, a £57.5m resource focused on providing flexible equity funding to high-potential SMEs primarily based in the North West.

Ben Hookway, CEO at Relative Insight, said the investment will allow the company to develop its customer-facing operations and better capitalise on new opportunities in the UK and USA. R/GA, a New York-headquartered international advertising agency has also selected Relative Insight as one of eight early stage technology businesses onto its Marketing Tech Venture Studio programme.