Melbourne-born HUMRN eyes Cyprus for next phase of growth 

Melbourne-born human-centred AI company HUMRN is moving from early validation into its next phase, with co-founder and chief executive David May setting out why the company is relocating its corporate base and, crucially, why Cyprus has become central to that decision. 

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, May said that, at its core, HUMRN is designed to help people function sustainably in environments where pressure is constant rather than occasional.  

He described the platform as one built to help people “live better, more fulfilled, less stressful lives – closer to their potential more often”, not by reacting to failure, but by intervening earlier. 

As May put it, the world is built on systems that assume people can absorb demand indefinitely. In most cases, he said, support only appears once something breaks, when performance drops, people struggle, or health declines. 

HUMRN, he explained, is designed to sit before that point. By giving people clearer insight into how they are tracking, the system allows adjustment before strain turns into damage.  

Importantly, May stressed, the human problem is not a lack of effort or motivation. Rather, he said, “it’s the absence of early, practical signals in high-pressure environments”. 

That framing, May said, feeds directly into how HUMRN defines “human-centred” technology, not as a slogan, but as a constraint.  

For HUMRN, he explained, the primary beneficiary must always be the person, not the system. 

“It’s not about selling or harvesting people’s data. We don’t even see it,” May said. Instead, he explained, individual-level data remains on the user’s device by design.  

This, he added, limits certain commercial shortcuts, while creating a system people trust rather than tolerate. “Insight flows back to the person.” 

That philosophy, according to May, has shaped HUMRN’s approach to launch.  

Rather than a broad rollout, the company has opted for a cautious strategy, working through targeted pilots in environments where the cost of getting it wrong is high, including professional sport, leadership roles and confidential, high-responsibility settings. 

“These are not places where novelty is welcomed unless it’s genuinely useful,” May said, adding that the company is deliberately prioritising validation over visibility. 

The same restraint, he argued, also differentiates HUMRN in a crowded AI landscape. The company does not see itself as part of the wellness or productivity category.  

“Most platforms focus on behaviour correction,” May said. “HUMRN provides awareness and leaves decision-making with the human being.” 

It is against that backdrop, May said, that HUMRN’s decision to relocate its corporate headquarters comes into focus. While the company was founded in Melbourne, he explained, it is now moving into something more durable. 

“We’re in the process of relocating our corporate head office from Melbourne to Cyprus,” May said. “That decision reflects where HUMRN is heading, not just where it started.” 

Asked why Cyprus, May pointed to what he described as a specific turning point.  

Engagement with Demetris Skourides, the Chief Scientist of the Republic, he said, fundamentally changed how the company viewed the country. 

What stood out to him was the seriousness of the national vision Skourides has helped articulate and advance – not just in theory, but in how research, regulation, ethics and real-world application are being aligned at a Republic-wide level. 

“For us at HUMRN, operating in a sensitive space involving people, data and long-term outcomes, that kind of joined-up thinking matters enormously,” May said.  

It reduces friction, he added, increases trust, and creates the conditions to build something responsibly, at scale. 

It was that clarity of vision, and the way it has been embedded nationally, that convinced him Cyprus could serve as a credible long-term base for HUMRN.  

“That’s what made Cyprus serious for us,” May said. 

EU market access also factored into the decision, May noted, though he was careful to distinguish access itself from the conditions that come with it.  

“Access on its own is table stakes,” he said. “What matters is how that access is governed.” 

In that context, May said conversations with the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Keve), as well as engaged principals Stavros Stavrou and George Georgiou, reinforced his view that Cyprus combines strategy with the people and capability to deliver it. 

More broadly, May argued that the country offers a balance of European standards and strategic local intent, regulation taken seriously, without innovation being buried under inertia.  

For a company that depends on both trust and momentum, he said, that balance is critical. 

Beyond regulation, however, May said the decision also comes down to sustainability. “People need to be able to live normally while doing demanding work,” he said. “That’s not a lifestyle preference; it’s a structural requirement for us.” 

That thinking, he explained, feeds directly into HUMRN’s team strategy. The company began with a small, senior team distributed internationally.  

Over time, May said, remaining fully distributed would limit coherence. 

Cyprus, he added, provides an opportunity to unify the company around a physical base while continuing to operate internationally. HUMRN plans to relocate most of its executive team and expects between 30 and 50 per cent of future hires to be based locally. 

“Our long-term goal is for Cyprus to be a genuine centre of gravity for the company,” May said, pointing to teams on the ground, leadership presence and long-term capability developed locally.