Penningtons Manches Cooper advises Trismik on its spinout from University of Cambridge and pre-seed funding round
Penningtons Manches Cooper has advised Trismik, a pioneering deeptech company focused on revolutionising the evaluation of large language models (LLMs), on its spin-out from the University of Cambridge and £2 million Pre-Seed funding round. The funding round was led by Twinpath Ventures, with support from Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, Parkwalk Advisors, Fund F, Vento Ventures, and angel network Ventures Together.
Trismik’s platform provides cutting-edge solutions for testing and validating LLMs, enabling developers and organisations to identify weaknesses, benchmark performance, and strengthen trust in AI deployment. Building on research originating at the University of Cambridge, the company’s technology addresses one of the most pressing challenges in today’s AI landscape: ensuring that advanced models are robust, reliable, and safe to use.
Trismik is led by repeat founder Rebekka Mikkola, as CEO, Professor Nigel Collier, a leading NLP researcher at the University of Cambridge, as CSO, and ex-Amazon scientist Marco Basaldella, as CTO.
The transaction reflects Penningtons Manches Cooper’s strength in supporting early-stage companies at the intersection of academia, technology and investment. The firm has a strong track record of working with deeptech clients to unlock commercial potential, protect intellectual property, and secure the right structures and funding for growth.
The corporate team was led by corporate partner James Went, with support from senior associate Anoushka Gangji, paralegal Jen Brewah and trainee solicitor Elizabeth Ahmad. The wider team providing specialist advice on this transaction included commercial partner Rachel Bradley, corporate tax partner Kathy Potter, corporate tax paralegal Victoria Goldstraw and employment senior associate Victoria Spires.
Commenting on the deal, James Went said: “We are delighted to have supported Trismik on its journey from academic research to commercialisation. Their work is tackling one of the most important issues in the AI sector, ensuring we can trust and validate the systems we increasingly rely on. It is another example of the exciting deeptech ventures emerging from Cambridge, and we look forward to seeing Trismik’s impact in this space grow.”
Rebekka Mikkola, Trismik’s chief executive officer, said “We’re excited to secure £2.2 million to advance Trismik’s mission of redefining AI evaluation. This funding accelerates our vision to make AI measurable and trustworthy. The team at Penningtons Manches Cooper were crucial to the smooth completion of our spin out and Pre-Seed funding round.”
Click here to read more about Trismik.