Cambridge-based synthetic anatomy startup Anthrotek has closed its £950,000 seed round with a £10.5 million money rating, achieving this milestone without the support of a single law firm. Instead, the company turned its eye on Genie AI's contract automation platform, handling everything from shareholder agreements to subscription documents. This is a move that cuts legal costs by 90%.
The salary increases are part of the already secured £1.15 million, with an additional £550,000 expected over the next 12 months. tfn.
Once that tranche is closed, Anthrotek is forecasting a rating, which will rise to around £12 million. It is the first time a UK startup has run a full seed round through Legal AI, and Shift highlights how quickly automation creeps into one of the most entrenched paid parts of the startup ecosystem.
Tareque said, “We completed a complex set of documents in just a small portion of our normal time, minimizing external legal expenditures with Genie AI. We know that many founders are unhappy with the current legal fee system.
Founders with complementary skills
Anthrotek was founded in 2024 by Tareque, an Oxford Law graduate with 13 years of experience in business growth and commercialization, and was founded by a material scientist with 15 years of experience, 37 published papers, and patents in nanotechnology and chemistry.
The company's creation story sounds like Cambridge. The two first met, but Peltier was the head of Evonetics' DNA synthesis, while Spark came later when Peltier started Face Forge, a garage-based silicon prosthetic studio for film special effects.
One afternoon, the punting at Rivercam turned into a business lunch and brainstorming session, which ultimately led to the creation of Anthrotek. Within a year, the pair raised capital, held workshops in Newmarket, built a team of six, and secured contracts in Hollywood and the medical training department.
Synthetic anatomy as a platform play
Anthrotek's pitch exceeds SFX. Its unique silicon composite and AI-driven 3D models replicate the texture and behavior of human tissues with unprecedented fidelity. The company is constructed for three verticals: medical simulation (ethical, corpse-free model for surgical training), Skintech (sensor embedded synthetic skins for robotics and tactile sensation), and film prosthetics under facial forging.
The startup has entered the market with established incumbents such as limbs and objects, Tracorpo, and ultra-highlands, but it distinguishes itself from the interdisciplinary blend of material science, AI and film artistry.
What's next?
Anthrotek's roadmap is ambitious. Expansion to the US and Asia will double R&D collaborations with partners such as Warwick and Cambridge University, expanding manufacturing capabilities. If an additional £550,000 closes as planned, the startup expects its valuation to rise to around £12 million.
But for investors and founders, the real story may be a way. By eliminating legal costs of over £20,000 from the seed round playbook, Anthotek and Genie AI showed us what the AI-First fundraising process looks like.
Rafie Faruq, co-founder and CEO of Genie AI, adds: “This is an incredible landmark of startups and business history. Startups around the world no longer have to pay 20-30K to make investment transactions.
By eliminating costly legal bottlenecks, Anthrotek has set new standards for the speed and trust of legal AI for startup funding rounds. This is the future of startup fundraising. ”
