Barney Hussey-Yeo
About Barney Hussey-Yeo
Barney Hussey-Yeo is the founder and CEO of Cleo, an AI financial assistant. Cleo's company page says he launched it from his bedroom in 2016. It describes him as a former data scientist with an MSc in Machine Learning.
Before Cleo he worked as a data scientist at Wonga and was part of the EF5 cohort at Entrepreneur First. Crunchbase lists a BSc in Computer Science from Manchester Metropolitan University and an MSc in Machine Learning from the University of Bristol.
Cleo's site says it has passed $300 million in ARR and has a team of more than 500 across London, New York and San Francisco. A Slush speaker bio says he has raised $137M for the company. Cleo's investors include Balderton, EQT Ventures and Sofina.
Hussey-Yeo describes himself on X as a founder and angel investor. In a 2026 post about UK tax relief, he wrote that he had made 60+ angel investments. He said only two of them were eligible for EIS/SEIS-style relief, because many startups now incorporate in Delaware and raise on SAFEs.
CB Insights lists a seed round in Kohort in March 2023 among his investments. Crunchbase lists Kodex AI as an exit, but the details are hidden. No complete public list of his investments was found.
In August 2026 he joined Itoflow's $2.5M pre-seed round as an angel. Balderton Capital led the round. Itoflow is a London company building AI agents that turn a investment team's research, risk and review rules into workflows. It is run by CEO Aditya Jha.
According to Fintech Garden, Hussey-Yeo said Itoflow's commitment to keeping investment teams in control of their own judgment matched what he learned building Cleo: trust and transparency are essential to making financial AI work.
The Lounge deals desk also records a $1.1M pre-seed in Wassist in June 2026.
The 2026 rounds he joined were pre-seed. Third-party profiles list his sectors as AI, fintech, healthcare and e-commerce. Those profiles are not his own statements. He is based in London and writes publicly about UK tech policy. He has not published a check size or a formal investment thesis that we could verify, so none is given here.
- Itoflow: AI agents for investment research and portfolio management; joined the $2.5M pre-seed led by Balderton in August 2026.
- Wassist: AI company; $1.1M pre-seed in June 2026 per the Lounge deals desk.
- Kohort: listed by CB Insights as a seed investment in March 2023.
- Metaview: listed as an affiliation on Startupmag's investor profile; year not stated.
- web.meetcleo.com/company
- slush.org/program/barney-hussey-yeo
- crunchbase.com/person/barnaby-hussey-yeo
- cbinsights.com/investor/barnaby-hussey-yeo
- startupmag.co.uk/investors/barney-hussey-yeo
- x.com/Barney_H_Y
- x.com/Barney_H_Y/status/2069338488856592600
- tech.eu/2026/08/25/itoflow-lands-25m-to-scale-investment-research-and-
Investing activity
Barney Hussey-Yeo appears in 2 AI deals tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Pre-seed, with a median round size of $3M. The most recent are Itoflow (Pre-seed, $2.5M, Aug 2026) and Wassist (Pre-seed, $1.1M, Jun 2026).
Barney Hussey-Yeo most often invests alongside Balderton Capital, Playfair Capital, Paul Forster and Meta board member Charlie Songhurst, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Barney Hussey-Yeo
Who is Barney Hussey-Yeo?
He is the founder and CEO of Cleo, an AI financial assistant founded in London in 2016. He also invests as an angel in early-stage startups.
Does Barney Hussey-Yeo invest in AI startups?
Yes. He took part in Itoflow's $2.5M pre-seed in August 2026 and Wassist's $1.1M pre-seed in June 2026, both recorded on the Lounge deals desk.
What is Barney Hussey-Yeo's angel check size?
No check size is publicly confirmed. Third-party databases give conflicting figures, so we have not listed one.
What stage does Barney Hussey-Yeo invest at?
His recent AI deals are pre-seed rounds, and CB Insights lists a 2023 seed investment. In Itoflow's round he joined alongside a lead investor, Balderton Capital.
How can founders contact Barney Hussey-Yeo?
He is active on X as @Barney_H_Y and has a LinkedIn profile. His email is not listed in the public sources we used.
Is Barney Hussey-Yeo an angel investor?
Yes. Barney Hussey-Yeo invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Barney Hussey-Yeo invested in?
Barney Hussey-Yeo's AI investments include Itoflow and Wassist. The 2 rounds on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Who does Barney Hussey-Yeo co-invest with?
Barney Hussey-Yeo's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Balderton Capital (1 deal), Playfair Capital (1 deal), Paul Forster (1 deal) and Meta board member Charlie Songhurst (1 deal).
How can founders reach Barney Hussey-Yeo?
Founders on Lounge can see Barney Hussey-Yeo's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Barney Hussey-Yeo to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.