Funding

Unique, a vertical AI player creating a specialised agentic AI platform for financial firms, today announced the successful completion of its Series A funding round, raising $30 million. Unique’s total investment now stands at $53 million since its founding in 2021. This round is led by CommerzVentures and DN Capital, with continued support from existing seed investors including VI Partners and Pictet Group.

Electric Sheep, a UK-based AI tech startup, announces a major milestone as it secures Innovate UK’s prestigious £500,000 Smart Grant – an award recognising its advancements in AI-driven visual effects (VFX) technology. This funding will support the development of Spotlight V3, Electric Sheep’s next-generation rotoscoping tool, set to launch in early 2025.

Seaweed based supplement, cosmetic, and food ingredient startup BioMara, has secured $150,000 to advance fucoidan production to meet growing demand.

Gene therapy’s biggest obstacle isn’t science – it’s manufacturing. While the field races forward with breakthrough treatments, production remains stuck in the 1980s, relying on unpredictable cell-based methods that make therapies costly and slow to develop. Fuse Vectors has announced $5.2 million in pre-seed financing led by HCVC to revolutionise gene therapy development with its cell-free viral vector technology.

A Leeds-based accessibility startup has secured early funding and expanded its team as it rebrands and accelerates its growth. AUDITSU, formerly known as IMAGINaiTION, was founded by Jason Crispin, a multi-award-winning entrepreneur.

Ignota Labs, the AI-driven drug turnaround company, has announced the close of a $6.9 million (£5.5 million) seed funding round, co-led by Montage Ventures and AIX Ventures with participation from Modi Ventures, Blue Wire Capital, and Gaingels. The funding will be used to expand the pipeline by acquiring additional distressed assets and for advancement into early-stage clinical trials of their first asset, a PDE9A inhibitor.

Flanks is redefining wealth management with an end-to-end solution that connects complex data from any asset class worldwide and transforms it into actionable insights, enabling advisors to make faster, more informed investment and risk management decisions.

Magdrive, the startup creating the next-generation of spacecraft propulsion, has announced its $10.5 million seed funding round led by pan-European VC Redalpine.

Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC), the venture capital firm embedded in the Cambridge ecosystem, has launched a new £100 million Opportunity Fund – anchored by Aviva Investors and British Patient Capital – to invest in growth stage deeptech and life sciences companies.

Sparta, a provider of real-time intelligence for commodity traders, has secured $42 million in Series B funding led by One Peak, with continued backing from Singular and FirstMark. This investment fuels Sparta’s expansion beyond oil and gas, accelerating its vision to evolve from a data provider into a full-scale AI-powered trading platform – an industry-wide operating system that empowers traders with actionable intelligence and collaborative decision-making.

Monument Therapeutics, a neuroscience company applying digital biomarkers to psychiatric drug development, has secured £850,000 in further funding led by ACF Investors, with participation from Wren Capital, o2h Ventures, and angel investors. The investment will be used to fund its schizophrenia programme and drive the next stage of growth for the company.

Birmingham-based entrepreneurs Brendon and Jaydon, the brothers behind the rapidly growing seasoning and sauce brand Lumberjaxe, have secured a £90,000 investment for 20% equity from guest Dragon Emma Grede on BBC One’s Dragons’ Den.

The speedy growth of fintechs is currently driven by innovations that seem to change every other day. While startups are at the forefront of this transformation, they often require significant financial backing and strategic guidance to scale their solutions. This is where angel investors play a crucial role to act as both financiers and mentors, helping fintech companies navigate regulatory landscapes, achieve market traction, and build sustainable business models.

METYCLE, a digital platform for international secondary metal trade, has successfully closed its €14.1 million Series A funding round. The round was led by 2150 with strong continuous investment from existing investors DFF Ventures, Market One Capital, Partech, and Project A.

Safe Intelligence, a startup in deep validation artificial intelligence (AI) systems, has announced that it has secured £4.15 million in seed funding in an investment round led by Amadeus Capital Partners, with participation from new investor OTB Ventures and existing investor Vsquared Ventures.

Augury, a company in Industrial AI solutions for Reliability and Process Optimisation, has announced that it has raised $75 million in growth funding from Lightrock, a global investment platform committed to building a sustainable future as part of its climate investment portfolio.

Aura Funerals, the digital end-of-life planning and funeral service, has announced a successful £750,000 funding round through Angel Investment Network, the online angel investment platform. This marks Aura’s third successful raise through the network. The funds were raised as part of a larger £3.2 million growth funding round.

Stacks, the AI-powered workspace helping companies close their books quickly and efficiently, has announced a $3 million pre-seed round led by EQT Ventures, followed by a fast-tracked $7 million seed round led by General Catalyst, with EQT Ventures doubling down on their investment. The rounds also saw participation from s16vc and prominent angel investors including Mike Taylor, CFO of Gusto, and Simone Rüschenberg, CFO at Taktile.

Augmetec, the legaltech startup founded and led by Kritin Sundaram, announces that it has raised over £2 million in seed funding to turbo charge its growth. The round is led by UK-based early-stage investors Fuel Ventures, with participation from Swiss fund 14Peaks Capital, and three industry angel investors, including the Founding Partner of one of the world’s largest law firms, the family office of a $1 billion+ legaltech organisation, and the Head of Fraud at Asia’s largest law firm.

The global construction industry, valued at $12 trillion annually, builds the infrastructure underpinning modern life – from highways and data centres to renewable energy. Yet, for decades, it has faced persistent challenges: inefficiencies, project delays, cost overruns, and a growing labour shortage. Despite its size, the industry spends less than 1% of revenue on IT, resulting in stagnant productivity growth for decades.