Faculty

Faculty is an artificial intelligence company that provides software and consulting services. Founded in 2014 by Dr Marc Warner, Dr Angie Ma, and Andrew Brookes, the company originated as the Advanced Skills Initiative, a fellowship program designed to help PhD graduates transition from academia into data science careers. The company rebranded to Faculty in February 2019.

The founders brought diverse and relevant expertise to the venture. Dr Marc Warner, the CEO, was a Marie Curie Fellow in Physics at Harvard University, specializing in quantum sensing. Dr Angie Ma, a co-founder who has served as CPO and COO, holds a PhD in physics and has a background in nanotechnology research. Before Faculty, she founded Data Science Lab, a large community for data scientists. Andrew Brookes, the CTO, previously led an engineering team at the investment management firm BlackRock and holds a Master's degree in Computer Science.

Faculty's business model is centered on providing "AI as a Service," which combines strategy, software, and skills to help organizations implement AI solutions. The company works with clients across various sectors, including government, healthcare, retail, and energy, to build custom AI systems that optimize operations, forecast demand, and improve decision-making. Clients have included the NHS, for which Faculty helped predict hospital admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as Red Bull, Virgin Media, and Moonpig. The company's business is approximately 80% from the private sector. Faculty's offerings include its decision intelligence software, Frontier, which helps clients simulate and understand cause-and-effect relationships within their business.

The company has secured significant funding, including a £30 million ($42.5M) round in May 2021 led by the Apax Digital Fund, bringing its total funding to nearly £40 million. This investment was intended to accelerate international expansion and create over 400 new jobs in engineering, product, and delivery teams.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, decision intelligence, machine learning, AI consulting, data science, AI safety, AI as a Service, enterprise AI, Frontier software, predictive analytics, operational efficiency, demand forecasting, AI strategy, custom AI solutions, data-driven decision-making, AI implementation, business intelligence, AI simulation, National Health Service (NHS), Apax Digital Fund