Alinia AI, a startup focused on enabling safe and controlled deployment of generative AI within enterprises, has secured $2.4 million in pre-seed funding. This round was co-led by Speedinvest and Precursor Ventures, with participation from prominent angel investors including the co-founders of Hugging Face and GitHub.
Back in February, we had done a feature on the rise of Gen AI. You can have a look at its pros and cons, prospects and know if it will take our job.
What problem is the startup solving
Generative AI, a type of artificial intelligence capable of creating new content, is experiencing rapid growth. Market research predicts spending on generative AI to reach $143 billion by 2027.
However, alongside this growth lie concerns about safety and control. Unforeseen biases in training data or unintended outputs can damage brand reputation and expose companies to legal risks. Additionally, regulatory landscapes like the EU AI Act and proposed legislation in the US and Canada are adding compliance hurdles.
Alinia’s approach to solving the problem
Alinia AI aims to bridge this governance gap by providing an “alignment platform” that helps companies navigate these challenges. Their solution focuses on ensuring that generative AI systems adhere to a company’s policies, business preferences, and regulatory requirements.
Ariadna Font Llitjós, Alinia’s co-founder and CEO, emphasises the importance of alignment: “The technology is not production-ready for business scenarios… Reputational harm keeps [companies] up at night.” She highlights Alinia’s use of “alignment” techniques to ensure AI systems behave as expected. Her experience working on responsible AI initiatives at Twitter informs Alinia’s approach.
What is Alinia Alignment Platform
The Alinia Alignment Platform aims to provide a comprehensive solution for managing generative AI governance. This platform is envisioned to offer features such as:
- Evaluation and real-time monitoring of generative AI applications.
- Optimization techniques to improve performance and safety.
- Documentation tools to facilitate regulatory compliance.
By enabling companies to track and understand how generative AI applications behave in specific contexts, Alinia aims to promote safe and responsible use of this technology.
Who are the founders of the startup
Alinia’s co-founders bring a wealth of experience to the table. Co-founder and CEO, Ariadna Font Llitjós’ background includes leading responsible AI efforts at Twitter and directing development of AI solutions at IBM Watson. Carlos Muñoz Ferrandis, Alinia’s COO, brings legal expertise in AI governance and open source technologies, having previously worked with Hugging Face on governing large language models (LLMs).
Investors like Fred Hagenauer of Speedinvest highlight the founders’ unique experience in enterprise AI and LLM governance. Charles Hudson at Precursor Ventures emphasises the importance of Alinia’s focus on safe and trustworthy deployment of generative AI technology.
What we think about the startup
With the funding secured, Alinia plans to expand its team and develop the Alinia Alignment Platform. Their initial focus will be on enabling subject-matter experts to evaluate and validate the performance and safety of generative AI applications.
As the company grows, they aim to provide an end-to-end solution for safe and responsible use of generative AI across various LLM modalities and languages. However, the long-term impact of their platform on the broader generative AI market will depend on its effectiveness and user adoption.
