Why founders are picking up the policy pen
Startups are done waiting to be asked.
Good morning and happy four decades to me.
There are two lessons I’m taking from the letters to government this week organised by Britain’s best hopes for next-generation companies. Firstly, startups are finding their policy voice much earlier and more loudly than previous generations. Secondly, policy has become much more important to them. It is one reason I founded this newsletter and our main piece today looks at why those two things are happening now.
The UK's AI ambitions mean little if the sectors that matter most can't take part. HMRC transaction data, NHS patient records, MoD intelligence systems — all sit in on-premises infrastructure, beyond the reach of frontier models. VAST DataEnclave changes that.
It brings leading AI models to sensitive data wherever it lives, using hardware that guarantees no party simply has to trust another. Every action is cryptographically verified and audit-trailed.
For sectors such as financial services, healthcare and government, that creates a path towards using more valuable data with AI while maintaining stronger control over security, sovereignty and intellectual property.
Happening Today 📆
Model access: Google is rolling out its next frontier model, Gemini 4 Argon, but only to a handful of cybersecurity partners in its Fairwind programme and the US government for pre-release testing.
Great expectations: How can London's commercial landlords meet the expectations of the city's tech companies? Vorboss tackles that question at an event from 4pm in Soho.
In today's edition:
📝 Britain's most exciting startups are finding their policy voice earlier and with more urgency than previous generations of founders. They need to.