Founded on pioneering British research and real-world intelligence applications, FACT360 is using behavioural analytics to help governments and organisations detect fraud, terrorism and serious crime without breaching privacy. The Gurus spoke to Paddy Lawton, Founder of FACT360, about the origins of the company, the problem it solves and how government-backed programmes have helped accelerate its global reach.
Tell us about yourself and FACT360
“Three or four years ago, after I had exited a company called Spend360, I was looking to investigate how we could predict fraud inside businesses. This was the original plan.”
“I was lucky enough to meet Professor Mark Bishop at Goldsmiths University, and he told me about research based on work from Bletchley Park in 1939, before the Enigma code was cracked – research into how changes in behaviour can indicate intent.”
“FACT360 is all about looking at communications (emails, voice, text) but not looking at what’s being said. We look at who you communicate with, who they communicate with, and how those patterns change over time.”
“That research has now been applied and turned into a product called FACT360. It’s been on the market for around 18 months, following a long testing and refinement phase.”
What problem does your technology solve, and why does it matter right now?
“What we do is spot changes in behaviour. Before someone commits fraud or does something harmful, their behaviour usually changes and that’s what we can identify.”
“We’re not breaching any privacy laws because we’re not reading content. We’re looking at behavioural signals and relationships.”
“We work in areas like anti-terrorism, war crimes and large-scale fraud, helping governments and security services identify people of interest.”
“All of this came from British academic research, and we’ve applied it to real-world problems where it genuinely matters.
Where do you see FACT360 in 12 months’ time?
“The product’s been out for about 18 to 24 months now, and through CyberASAP (Cyber Security Academic Startup Accelerator Programme) we’ve been on three trade missions so far.”
CyberASAP, which is funded by the UK Government Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and delivered by Innovate UK, supports the global commercialisation and international growth of UK cyber innovations by connecting industry-engaged academic teams with partners, customers and investors. By creating early opportunities to showcase and validate new cyber products and services in national and overseas markets, the programme helps lay the groundwork for activities such as international trade missions.
“We were in Australia and met a company called Core Integrity, who are now distributing our technology there. The US will be the same — we’re building those long-term relationships.”
“The goal is that FACT360 remains UK-owned, but distributed globally. Partners build consultancy and revenue streams around it, while we scale internationally.”
“Without the government-backed programmes, we simply wouldn’t have had access to these markets. We don’t have big marketing budgets — that badge of honour really matters.”
What advice would you give to people looking to apply to government-backed programmes?
“In my opinion, the most important thing is teaming up with academia.”
“There’s so much untapped skill inside universities. If you’re commercial and you’ve got a strong idea, go to Innovate UK, get the matchmaking going, and bring the two worlds together.”
“It’s really hard for academics to be dragged into commercial life, and it’s really hard for industry to access that level of research. When you combine them, that’s when it becomes powerful.”
“Go to the events, meet people, make friends with academia — or if you’re an academic, find commercial partners. This means you’re actually utilising the talent that’s already there.”
“My advice would be simple: buddy up.”
FACT360 will be at CyberASAP’s Demo Day as part of the alumni showcase on the 25th February 2026 in London. CyberASAP Demo Day also features the 14 final teams in this year’s cohort who will be pitching and demonstrating their proofs of concept. Find out more and register to attend here.
