UK simulation startup Improbable is opening up an office in San Francisco

A buzzy UK startup that bills itself as aiming to be the "Google of simulation" is opening up an office in San Francisco.

Improbable builds software that its customers use to power simulations. Basically, it provides the engine that does the heavy lifting, so its users can get on with the business of simulating/modelling whatever it is they want to simulate/model.

In a blog post published this week, the five-year-old business announced the plans for its first American office. It will be opening in February, it wrote, and is looking for hires right across the business: "Engineers, business operations and executive hires - this is a full-scale office with all functions represented and with our executive team distributed across both sites."

Improbable's original focus was on gaming - massive multiplayer game-worlds. But it has since expanded its focus, and the team see potential applications in science, research, defence, and more.

The people behind Improbable are Rob Whitehead (CTO) and Herman Narula (CEO). They went to the University of Cambridge together, and went on to found Improbable in 2012.

This might be the first time Improbable is expanding to the US, but it already has friends in the country. In 2015, it landed a $20 million (£16 million) investment from venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, in what was its second-ever investment in the United Kingdom.

"Why San Francisco?" The blog post asked. "Well, building excellence in distributed computing systems and attacking the world's biggest problems requires exceptional people. Unsurprisingly, globally, there aren't that many people with that expertise. California is rich in this talent so it makes sense to put down roots early and quickly."