Matt Clifford — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

Chairs the UK's Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), a new £800m publicly funded R&D agency, since 2022.
Co-founded Entrepreneurs First in 2011, a talent investor and startup accelerator whose alumni companies are worth over $11bn.
Co-founder and Non-Executive Director (NED) at Code First: Girls since 2013.
Served as the Prime Minister's Representative for the 2023 AI Safety Summit and helped design the Frontier AI Task Force.
Appointed the Prime Minister’s Adviser on AI in 10 Downing Street in 2025, following the publication of the AI Opportunities Action Plan.
Awarded an MBE in 2016 for services to business and a CBE in 2024 for services to artificial intelligence.

Biography

Matt Clifford is a British entrepreneur known for co-founding Entrepreneurs First (EF) in 2011 alongside Alice Bentinck. EF operates as an international talent investor and startup accelerator, bringing together and funding individuals to build startups from scratch. Companies founded through EF, such as Tractable, Cleo, Aztec, and GenSyn, are collectively valued at over $11 billion.