Inference Research secures $20M seed led by Avenir Group

Inference Research raises $20M seed led by Avenir Group

Inference Research has raised $20 million in seed financing led by Avenir Group to build an AI-native quantitative trading franchise, according to PR Newswire (https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/inference-research-announces-20-million-seed-round-led-by-avenir-group-to-build-the-ai-native-quantitative-franchise-302685335.html). The announcement, dated Feb. 12, 2026 from Hong Kong, positions the firm to capture the convergence of AI and quantitative finance across digital assets and traditional markets.

The materials describe the firm as operating with institutional-grade discipline across research, execution, and risk. Leadership context provided in the release notes that the company is founded by Luke Li, previously Co-founder and Head of Trading at Amber Group.

Why this seed round matters for AI-native quantitative trading

The financing underscores growing institutional interest in strategies designed from the ground up for AI-driven signal discovery, rapid model iteration, and market microstructure-aware execution. In this framing, the capital supports a buildout that emphasizes data engineering and research rigor rather than retrofitting legacy systems for new market conditions.

In this context, “sovereign AI infrastructure” refers to self-contained, secure compute and data stacks that minimize reliance on external providers. Such architectures can support controls around data governance, continuity, and model lifecycle management, areas that matter for institutions seeking resilience and auditability alongside performance.

Immediate priorities: sovereign AI infrastructure, hiring, and scaling

According to Inference Research’s announcement, near-term execution focuses on three tracks: building sovereign AI infrastructure, scaling proprietary AI systems, and recruiting world-class quants, engineers, and researchers under incentives aligned to performance and integrity. The materials did not disclose performance targets, return expectations, or valuation terms.

The company frames these initiatives as addressing persistent market-structure challenges from asset pricing to liquidity provision. The stated operating model combines research discipline with production-grade systems, emphasizing the link between robust data pipelines, model development, and execution quality.

Avenir Group’s strategic rationale and incubation role

Avenir’s participation is presented as both financial backing and incubation support to help unify AI-native innovation with institutional trading standards. Explaining that rationale, Jacob Zhong, Managing Partner for Strategic Investment & Partnerships, said Avenir views the approach as blending institutional-grade discipline with AI-native innovation and as a way to bridge traditional finance and digital assets: “Inference Research represents a compelling step forward in quantitative finance, blending institutional-grade discipline with AI-native innovation. This approach aligns closely with our mission to bridge traditional finance and digital assets, fostering resilient infrastructure and institutional adoption. We are proud to support Luke Li and the Inference Research team through strategic investment and incubation, contributing to a more unified and efficient global financial ecosystem.”

Press materials did not include independent analyst commentary, third-party benchmarks, or additional investor details beyond the lead. Any implications for broader institutional adoption will depend on execution against the stated priorities and the firm’s ability to scale its sovereign AI stack without compromising controls.