Yorkshire is positioning itself at the forefront of the UK’s artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, as the newly launched Oberon Yorkshire AI EIS Fund announces plans to invest up to £100 million into the region. The fund, supported by a strategic partnership with Yorkshire AI Labs LLP, highlights significant investor confidence in Yorkshire’s potential to become a national centre of AI innovation and economic growth.
The Oberon Yorkshire AI EIS Fund will target pioneering AI-driven companies across Northern England, capitalising on the region’s industrial heritage, strong technology ecosystem, and leading research institutions. Investments will focus on transformative sectors including manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, and financial services, where AI integration offers substantial economic and societal benefits.
The Fund is delivered in exclusive partnership with Yorkshire AI Labs (YAIL), a specialist incubator that has already built and scaled some of the region’s most innovative AI companies. YAIL is known for its unique model that combines sweat equity, capital, and hands-on commercial strategy to create investor-ready businesses from scratch.
David Richards, Founder of YAIL, commented:
“This isn’t just a fund—it’s the next phase of a blueprint that’s already working. We’ve shown that you can build nationally significant AI companies right here in Yorkshire. The Oberon Fund allows us to take that model and scale it — to back more founders, accelerate more platforms, and build an ecosystem the whole country can be proud of.”
Paul Sheehan, Director of the Fund, said:
“The Oberon Yorkshire AI EIS Fund represents our belief in the significant economic and technological potential of the North of England. In collaboration with YAIL, we are afforded early access to a pipeline of rigorously selected high-potential growth companies in the AI space. With Oberon providing the investment structure and YAIL identifying the regional talent, this new venture is ripe for success in transforming untapped talent into high-performing, scalable businesses.”
