From tracking terrorists to
tracking talent.
“If you can work out where the world’s leading AI researchers are choosing to work then you will have a looking glass in to the future of both the technology and the balance of power”.
This is the thesis that led Tom Hurd—former UK Homeland Security Advisor – to found Zeki Data, where we track the world’s top R&D talent.
Trusted by
Talent is an asset class
—and it’s one you need to measure.
In today’s landscape, a company’s competitive advantage is often found in its intangible assets—namely, its technology and the talent driving it. To identify true value, you need to measure that talent.
Zeki builds structured datasets by gathering information from over 30,000 open-access sources, including research networks, funding records, academic affiliations, hiring data and technical outputs.
This enables us to track and evaluate the world’s leading deep-tech talent.
We refer to these individuals as Talent Alpha: exceptional individuals with proven advanced skills, who are motivated and capable of pushing the boundaries of science and engineering within their chosen companies.
OUR DATA
Scored, Structured and Searchable
From 30,000 open-access sources
Multi-signal scoring and intelligence
10 million top scientists, engineers and researchers
Exclusive Deep-Tech Only Focus
Zeki powers insights for
"Researchers increasingly want to work on meaningful problems. Since 2015 the number of them joining the health-care sector each year has increased 20-fold, according to Zeki (which may explain why Google is working on Med-PaLM 2, an AI doctor)."
"According to the Zeki State of AI Talent Report, European defence companies are targeting top engineers as even established firms shift focus from hardware to software for everything from drones to troop-tracking technology."
"Overall, the 10,000 small companies in Zeki’s database hire more top AI talent than the big five combined. 'The bigger, slower story is the shifting sands beneath the big five as the AI world deepens and diversifies away from the US,' says Tom Hurd, Zeki’s co-founder."
"London is becoming the epicenter for AI safety, boosted by the presence of Google DeepMind. Europe and the Gulf States are doubling down on their talent retention efforts as countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia build out their AI infrastructure and energy sector to support AI."
"The scarcity of talent has forced companies to approach hiring creatively... For instance, Zeki Data discovered Anthropic has been hiring researchers with theoretical physics backgrounds, and other AI companies have hired individuals with quantum computing backgrounds."
"'The hiring of Mustafa Suleyman fits the longstanding trend of big US tech hiring top UK AI talent,' says Tom Hurd, Zeki’s chief executive. 'But in the last two years, the UK has started to attract more top AI talent than it loses, especially top female AI scientists and engineers.'"
Meet Zeki's leaders
Tom Hurd
CEO & Co-Founder
Tom served as the senior Homeland Security Advisor to four British Home Secretaries, leading efforts against state threats, cybercrime, and terrorism, and overseeing intelligence and law enforcement operations. He played a key role in producing the Prime Minister’s Daily Intelligence Brief and was part of the UK’s Joint Intelligence Committee. Tom advocated for using science and technology to enhance operations, leading to his establishment of the UK’s Joint Biosecurity Centre to improve the accuracy of COVID-19 outbreak detection.
He was honoured with an OBE in 2011 and a CB in 2020 for his contributions to national security.
Margaux Bergen
COO & Co-Founder
Margaux has spent over 30 years developing networks across the globe to support the advancement of women in technology, healthcare and beyond.
In Zeki’s expansive dataset we uncovered critical gaps in recognition and investment for women in science—launching a pivotal opportunity to amplify their voices and achievements. With a deep commitment to fostering equity, Margaux champions increased investment in female scientific innovators, particularly in new, groundbreaking fields of AI and data.
Rachel Cook
Head of Data
Rachel is a skilled product leader with expertise in scaling AI products, particularly in Conversational AI for optimising enterprise machine learning models. She holds an MSc in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Sussex, an MBA from the University of Warwick, and a degree in Psychology and Social Studies. Her MSc dissertation focused on fair and transparent AI algorithms, reflecting her passion in this area. Rachel is an advocate for Women in AI, organising events with leading tech speakers.