Disinformation has emerged as a significant tactic using bot networks, paid influencers, and advanced AI to target governments, companies, and elections. The London startup Refute employs advanced AI to detect these campaigns early and provide practical countermeasures.
In Romania’s recent election, Refute uncovered 32,500 suspicious TikTok videos promoting far-right messages aimed at expatriates. The company recently secured £5M in seed funding, led by Amadeus Capital Partners, with participation from various investors, including the UK’s National Security Strategic Investment Fund.
Refute was founded in 2024 by Tom Garnett and Vlad Galuhave, who have over 40 years of combined experience combating online fraud and money laundering. They created Refute in response to the growing threat of disinformation targeting organizations. Garnett emphasizes their commitment to fostering trust in the internet while tackling the next big threat vector.
The platform aggregates public data streams to track false information and quickly flags risks, already benefiting top government and private clients by identifying up to 40% of targeted mining firms. Refute’s AI-powered system helps organizations detect and stop online manipulation early, allowing for fast, tailored responses.
Refute distinguishes itself through rapid detection and proactive response capabilities, providing a clear, actionable overview of online threats. The company’s approach to diversity includes building a remote workforce from various European backgrounds to effectively address the sophisticated nature of disinformation campaigns.
With the new funding, Refute plans to hire more engineers, enhance detection algorithms, expand response kits, and enter new European markets. Garnett states the aim is to scale operations and adapt to emerging tactics in the fast-changing landscape of disinformation.
