Source: Fortune.com
Summary
Ineffable Intelligence, the AI startup founded by ex-DeepMind researcher David Silver, has hired six high-profile cofounders, including former DeepMind colleagues and industry veterans. Four of the hires worked with Silver on the AlphaStar project, while others have backgrounds at companies like InstaDeep and Flying Fish. The startup, valued at $5 billion after a $1.1 billion seed round, is focused on developing AI superintelligence using reinforcement learning. Ineffable is part of a wave of new AI companies emerging from the legacy of DeepMind, OpenAI, and Anthropic.
Our Reading
The numbers tell one story.
Ineffable Intelligence has hired six high-profile cofounders, including former DeepMind colleagues.
The startup is valued at $5 billion and is focused on AI superintelligence.
It is part of a wave of new AI companies emerging from the legacy of DeepMind, OpenAI, and Anthropic.
The hiring spree suggests a focus on building a strong research and engineering team.
Author: Evan Null
Background of Ineffable Intelligence
Ineffable Intelligence, the AI startup founded by ex-DeepMind researcher David Silver, has brought on six high-profile “cofounders.” The startup is based in London and was launched earlier this year. The company is focused on creating AI superintelligence using reinforcement learning, a technique closely associated with Silver.
Key Hires and Their Backgrounds
Four of the new Ineffable hires are former Google DeepMind colleagues of Silver’s: Chris Apps, Wojciech Czarnecki, Lasse Espeholt, and Junhyuk Oh. Apps, Czarnecki, and Oh worked with Silver on DeepMind’s 2019 AlphaStar breakthrough. Espeholt helped build Google’s MetNet weather prediction AI models.
Additional Cofounders
The fifth cofounder, Alexandre Laterre, was formerly the head of research at London-based AI company InstaDeep, which was acquired by BioNTech in 2023. The sixth, Heather Gorham, had been a partner at the venture capital firm Flying Fish, which was among the first investors in Ineffable.
Company Valuation and Funding
In April, Ineffable was valued at $5 billion when it raised a $1.1 billion seed round of venture capital funding, the largest seed investment ever in Europe. The company’s hiring spree adds to the wave of high-profile researchers who have recently left Google DeepMind to join rival AI companies.
Company Structure and Leadership
When Ineffable was incorporated in November 2025, records show that the company was set up by George “Geordie” Rose, a Canadian serial entrepreneur and tech investor. Silver only became a company director in January 2026, after he officially left DeepMind. Rose’s role has since shifted to that of a founding advisor.
