Mikolaj Firlej Leader
I'm an investor, academic, and policy professional in security and defence, specialising in the application of autonomous systems and AI. I completed my D.Phil at Oxford University with a thesis on ‘The Problematisation of Autonomous Weapon Systems’, and have been a deep tech investor since 2016. I co-founded Firlej Kastory, a private investment firm, and launched Expeditions, the leading early-stage investor in the future of European security, in 2021.
I have advised both the UK and Polish governments, working as a security analyst and policy advisor, and was also part of a UN Group of Governmental Experts on the regulation of autonomous weapons. Earlier, I co-founded the Centre for Technology and Global Affairs at Oxford University and have taught at the University of Surrey on AI Law and Regulation. I hold three Master's degrees in addition to my doctorate. In my personal time, I am supporting gifted schoolchildren, particularly from Beskid Mountains.
