Partner programme
Build the next data service with us.
We are opening our data pipeline, industry experience and engineering capacity to people and organisations with a problem worth solving. Bring the idea, the domain or the data; we bring the rest, and we share what we build.
Innovators · researchers · data holders · technology partners
Who we look for
Four kinds of partner, one shared way of working.
The common thread is a decision that would be made better with data, and a partner who stays close to the people making it.
Domain innovators
Individuals with deep knowledge of an industry and a problem worth solving, who need a technical partner to turn it into a product.
- A logistics manager who knows exactly which decision is made badly every day
- A clinician, agronomist or coach with a method that deserves software
- A founder with customers lined up and no engineering team
Research partners
Universities, institutes and research groups who want an industry partner for joint bids and for taking methods out of the lab.
- Innovate UK, UKRI and Horizon Europe consortia
- UK–China research collaboration
- Knowledge-transfer and PhD placements
Industry & data partners
Companies that hold valuable data, distribution or a customer base, and want to build a data service on top of it rather than sell it raw.
- Sports media and event organisers
- Supply-chain operators and marketplaces
- Healthcare and education providers
Technology partners
AI, robotics, IoT and software companies whose capabilities complement ours, to go to market together on joint solutions.
- Sensor and telemetry providers
- Robotics and automation firms
- Specialist model and platform vendors
How we partner
Four models, from a paid pilot to a shared venture.
Most partnerships start small and move along this list as the evidence builds. Terms are agreed in writing before we build.
Innovation partner
Equity or revenue shareYou bring the idea, the domain and the first customers; we bring the data pipeline, engineering and analytics to build it. We agree a share of the venture or its revenue before anything is built, in writing.
What you bring
- Problem, domain expertise and market access
- Time to shape and test the product
What we bring
- Engineering and data-science capacity
- Our pipeline, infrastructure and operating experience
- A product in the market without raising first
Co-development
Shared IPTwo companies build one product. Costs, intellectual property and revenue are split by a simple agreed formula. Typical for data holders and technology partners.
What you bring
- Data, distribution or complementary technology
- A named lead on your side
What we bring
- A joint product and a joint roadmap
- Ant Data runs the data layer and analytics
- Clear IP and revenue terms
Research consortium
Grant fundedWe join or lead bids as the industry and data-engineering partner. Our track record covers research platforms built with institutions in the UK and China.
What you bring
- Research question and academic rigour
- Field network or validation data
What we bring
- Industry partner with operating record
- Platform, pipeline and dissemination support
- Bid writing experience
Pilot engagement
Fee basedA short, fixed-scope project to prove the value of a data service before anyone commits further. Many partnerships start here.
What you bring
- A decision to improve and access to the data
- A sponsor who can act on the result
What we bring
- Working prototype and an evidence pack
- Honest go / no-go recommendation
- Pricing for the scaled service
The five steps
From a short email to a product in the market.
It starts with an enquiry through this page, not a sales call. Every partnership then follows the same shape; the depth of each step adapts to the model, the steps do not.
- 01
Week 0 · by email
Enquiry
Send us a paragraph through the form on this page: the problem, the data you have or could get, and who would pay for a solution. We reply by email within a few working days, say honestly whether we are the right partner and suggest the model that fits. A call comes after that, if both sides want one.
- 02
Weeks 1–3
Shaping
By email and, where useful, a call, we define the decision the product improves, the data it needs, the first customer and the roles each side plays. This ends in a one-page partnership outline and, where relevant, a term sheet.
- 03
6–12 weeks
Prototype
We build the smallest version that can be put in front of a real user: a feed, a model, a dashboard or an app. You bring the users and the domain checks.
- 04
2 weeks
Evaluate
We review the evidence together: does it work, who will pay, what it costs to run. Then a clear decision to continue, change course or stop. Stopping is a valid outcome.
- 05
Ongoing
Build & scale
The agreement is signed, the product is hardened and launched, and we operate the data layer while the partnership grows it.
The honest bit
What to know before you write to us.
We are a small company. We invest engineering and data-science time, not cash. If your idea needs funding first, we can help shape the bid, but we are not an investor.
Equity, revenue and intellectual property are agreed in writing before we build, not negotiated afterwards.
We say no when the data is not there or the decision is not valuable enough. A short, honest no is better for both sides than a long maybe.
We prefer partners who will stay close to users. The product exists to serve them, and we expect you to talk to them as often as we do.
Start here
Have a problem, a dataset or an idea? Tell us by email.
A paragraph is enough: what the problem is, what data exists, and which model you think fits. We reply to every enquiry.
Prefer your own mail client?
Write to contact@antdataltd.co.uk with the subject "Partner programme".