Making assessment faster and more consistent with responsible AI

Assessment is fundamental to a successful skills system. It gives learners the opportunity to demonstrate what they know and can do, supports progression into work and further learning, and helps employers and providers recognise capability. As vocational and professional learning continues to grow, assessment organisations are under increasing pressure to deliver high-quality assessment and timely feedback at scale.

New technologies, including AI, have the potential to help. They can support assessors to work more efficiently, improve consistency and provide learners with richer, more personalised feedback. But introducing AI into assessment also brings important responsibilities. In addition to technical expertise, it requires a deep understanding of assessment practice, pedagogy and quality assurance, alongside a commitment to transparency, accountability and keeping professional judgement central to decision-making.

This is why we have invested in Sainaptic. The company combines deep technical AI capability with expertise in assessment, helping organisations improve efficiency while maintaining trust in assessment outcomes. Just as importantly, their approach reflects many of the principles we believe are essential for the responsible use of AI in assessment: human oversight, professional judgement, transparency and a focus on improving outcomes for learners. The £1 million funding round was co-led by Ufi Ventures and Cornerstone VC, with participation from Brighteye Ventures and Elm VP.

Dr Rajeshwari Iyer and Kavitha Ravindran, Co-founders of Sainaptic, said:

“We’re thrilled to have Ufi Ventures co-lead this round. No other investor understands the vocational and technical qualifications space quite like Ufi, and their relentless focus on impact and learner outcomes helps us to keep sight of these ourselves.

“Ufi backs technology companies that make a real difference to how people learn and progress in their careers, and that’s exactly what we’re building at Sainaptic. With their trust and support, we can expand and scale our offering faster, and we couldn’t ask for a better partner to do it with.”

Sainaptic’s AI-assisted technology evaluates complex evidence against assessment criteria, helping assessors work more efficiently while retaining oversight and control of the final decision. Designed to strengthen professional judgement, early results have been promising. To date, Sainaptic’s technology has been used to assess more than two million descriptive answers, helping organisations save thousands of marking hours while improving the consistency and quality of assessment. Sainaptic reports reductions of up to 95% in marking time and, for one client, a 97% reduction in re-marking.

Alex Bishop, Associate Director of Ufi Ventures, said:

“Sainaptic shows what responsible AI in assessment can look like. Its technology is designed to strengthen the expertise of assessors, not replace it, keeping professional judgement and final decision-making firmly in human hands.

“By combining deep assessment expertise with rigorous scrutiny of its models, the team is helping organisations provide learners with faster, more detailed and personalised feedback while maintaining confidence in the quality of assessment.

“Having previously supported the Sainaptic team through Ufi grant funding, we have seen the potential of its approach first-hand. This investment allows Ufi Ventures to continue supporting the business as it moves from successful innovation towards greater scale and impact.”

The investment reflects our confidence in Sainaptic’s potential to create positive impact at scale. The funding will support Sainaptic’s growth as demand increases for practical, responsible uses of AI across assessment.

By investing in businesses like Sainaptic, Ufi Ventures is helping to shape the future of skills, supporting approaches that use technology well, protect professional judgement and keep learners’ needs at their heart.