Built by people who’ve been on both sides of the R&D claim
What we believe
“The first draft you receive will always be accurate enough to trust, clear enough to understand, and honest enough to tell you where to look harder.”
Our mission
Why Menlo exists
Menlo exists because thousands of UK SMEs are entitled to meaningful government funding every year, but the process to claim it has become so complex, time-consuming, and risky that many don’t bother — and those who do often pay away a fifth of their refund just to navigate it.
Our values
What guides us
Accuracy over optimism
We’d rather tell you your work doesn’t qualify than help you file a weak claim.
Human accountability
Every narrative requires human review. The tool assists — it never replaces judgement.
Transparency by default
Your engineers should know what their work was worth and what the company received.
The name
Why ‘Menlo’?
Edison set up his Menlo Park laboratory — the world’s first dedicated R&D facility — to make innovation systematic and repeatable. That’s what we’re doing for R&D tax relief.
Honest about fit
Who we don’t serve
We don’t work with large enterprises who have dedicated tax teams. We don’t work with companies that aren’t doing genuine R&D. And we don’t work with anyone looking to be entirely hands-off — the tool works because the people closest to the R&D contribute to it.