Key Takeaways
- • Ian Hogarth, co-founder and former CEO of Songkick, is a British entrepreneur and investor who co-founded the early-stage venture firm Plural in 2021 with a focus on ambitious European founders.
- • Hogarth has been Chair of the UK AI Security Institute, which traces back to the Foundation Model Taskforce he was appointed to lead in June 2023; the body was renamed the AI Security Institute in 2025.
- • Through angel investing from 2013, he has backed more than 100 start-ups, including Anthropic, Faculty, Helsing, Tide Banking and Kheiron Medical.
- • His Plural portfolio spans machine learning, quantum computing, materials science and climate technology, with companies such as Phasecraft, Proxima Fusion, Hypersonica and Callosum.
- • Hogarth was appointed CBE in 2024 for services to artificial intelligence safety, and government records state that conflict-management safeguards were put in place for his financial interests.
Summary
A profile published on ukwisdom.co.uk outlines the career of Ian Hogarth, a British entrepreneur, investor and technology leader whose work spans music technology, venture capital and artificial intelligence. Born in January 1982, Hogarth studied at the University of Cambridge, completing a BEng and an MEng in Machine Intelligence, and his master's work involved a computer vision system designed to help screen breast cancer biopsy images.
Hogarth co-founded Songkick in 2007 with Michelle You and Pete Smith and served as chief executive for more than eight years. According to the profile, he served as CEO from March 2007 to May 2015, co-CEO from June to December 2015 during the combination with CrowdSurge, and chairman from December 2015 to July 2017. Songkick raised funding from Y Combinator, Index Ventures, Sequoia Capital and Access Industries, and later entered a legal dispute with Ticketmaster over anticompetitive conduct that ended in a large settlement before trial.
Since 2013 Hogarth has expanded his angel activity, backing more than 100 start-ups. In 2021 he co-founded Plural, which backs early-stage technology founders with a strong focus on Europe. Companies connected with his investments include Anthropic, Cleo, ComplyAdvantage, Faculty, Helsing, Hopin and Rossum, and at Plural he has focused on machine learning, quantum computing, materials science and climate technology. Companies Housing records list active directorships at Plural UK Management Limited, Phasecraft Limited and Callosum Technologies Ltd, among others.
Hogarth co-created the State of AI Report with Nathan Benaich in 2018. In June 2023 he was appointed to lead the UK Government's Foundation Model Taskforce, which later became the AI Safety Institute and was renamed the AI Security Institute in 2025. Government records state that he divested certain holdings and accepted rules governing related decisions to protect the independence of his public role. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2024 for services to AI safety. The profile notes that no verified personal net worth figure has been disclosed.
Hogarth co-founded Songkick in 2007 with Michelle You and Pete Smith and served as chief executive for more than eight years. According to the profile, he served as CEO from March 2007 to May 2015, co-CEO from June to December 2015 during the combination with CrowdSurge, and chairman from December 2015 to July 2017. Songkick raised funding from Y Combinator, Index Ventures, Sequoia Capital and Access Industries, and later entered a legal dispute with Ticketmaster over anticompetitive conduct that ended in a large settlement before trial.
Since 2013 Hogarth has expanded his angel activity, backing more than 100 start-ups. In 2021 he co-founded Plural, which backs early-stage technology founders with a strong focus on Europe. Companies connected with his investments include Anthropic, Cleo, ComplyAdvantage, Faculty, Helsing, Hopin and Rossum, and at Plural he has focused on machine learning, quantum computing, materials science and climate technology. Companies Housing records list active directorships at Plural UK Management Limited, Phasecraft Limited and Callosum Technologies Ltd, among others.
Hogarth co-created the State of AI Report with Nathan Benaich in 2018. In June 2023 he was appointed to lead the UK Government's Foundation Model Taskforce, which later became the AI Safety Institute and was renamed the AI Security Institute in 2025. Government records state that he divested certain holdings and accepted rules governing related decisions to protect the independence of his public role. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2024 for services to AI safety. The profile notes that no verified personal net worth figure has been disclosed.
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