Adclear, a London-based AI compliance startup, has closed an oversubscribed £2.1 million seed round to accelerate its mission of modernizing financial promotion reviews. The company has quickly positioned itself as a key partner for financial institutions that need to keep up with fast-paced, AI-driven marketing while staying within strict regulatory boundaries. Its platform is already used by leading banks, neobanks, and fintechs across the UK and beyond.
Funding Round Details
The seed round was led by Outward VC, with participation from AFG Partners and fintech accelerator Tenity. Angel investors include Clearscore founder Dan Cobley and Coinbase managing director Keith Grose, who invested via the a16z Scout Fund, alongside the Ventures Together community. Existing backers Haatch and Force Over Mass Capital also joined the round after first investing at pre-seed, signaling strong ongoing conviction in Adclear’s trajectory.
Product and Technology
Adclear’s platform uses artificial intelligence to automate compliance checks on financial marketing materials and product-related communications. Users can upload social media creatives, video assets, emails, articles, digital ads, websites, and in-app product screens, receiving rapid, detailed guidance on what must change to meet regulatory standards. The system is designed to maintain a clear audit trail for compliance teams while turning what used to be days or weeks of manual review into near-instant feedback cycles.
Market Traction and Regulatory Focus
Founded in 2024 by Doni Hoti, Joe Jordan, and Cameron Ward, Adclear has already become a go-to solution for UK financial promotion compliance. Its clients include Lloyds Banking Group, the country’s largest neobank, two Tier 1 banks, and fintech brands such as PensionBee, Plum, Yonder, InvestEngine, ActivTrades, and Trade Nation. By aligning with FCA, ASA, and related regulatory frameworks, the company offers marketing, product, and compliance teams a way to scale content output without increasing regulatory exposure.
Unlocking Speed for Marketing and Compliance Teams
The rise of generative AI has enabled financial brands to produce more personalized and frequent campaigns, but it has also magnified compliance bottlenecks. Adclear estimates that its technology reduces financial promotion review times by around 88 percent and supports up to an 18-fold increase in compliant marketing output. This combination allows firms to move at modern digital speeds while freeing legal and compliance teams from repetitive manual checks and improving first-time approval rates.
Global Expansion and Product Roadmap
After building a strong base in the UK, Adclear has already extended coverage to EU and US regulatory regimes, with APAC and MENA markets slated to follow in the coming months. The fresh capital will be used to expand the team, deepen its presence in markets outside the UK, and broaden the platform into adjacent compliance workflows. A major focus going forward will be the full financial promotion lifecycle, including post-publication monitoring of affiliates, partners, and financial influencers.
Team and Strategic Vision
Chief executive officer Doni Hoti and co-founders Joe Jordan and Cameron Ward are supported by a growing team focused on shipping product quickly while maintaining high standards for accuracy and reliability. The company is positioning itself as core infrastructure for financial institutions that want compliance to move at the same pace as content creation. Investors and customers alike are betting that this approach will redefine how financial marketing is approved, tracked, and governed in an AI-first era.
Adclear’s £2.1 million seed round underlines the urgency for smarter, automated compliance tools in a sector where regulation and innovation often strain against each other. By combining AI-driven review, clear auditability, and multi-market regulatory coverage, the company is aiming to make compliant financial marketing both faster and more scalable. With new capital, an expanding global footprint, and a deepening product roadmap, Adclear is setting itself up as a key player in the future of financial promotion compliance.