Funding

Puma Growth Partners has led a $4.3 million investment into legal and financial technology specialist, Semeris.

Intryc, the platform transforming customer support quality assurance (QA) through AI-powered automation, has announced a $3.1 million seed funding round. The oversubscribed round saw participation from General Catalyst and scouts from Sequoia, alongside existing investors Episode 1 and 500 Emerging Europe, bringing the company’s total funding to $4.2 million. The announcement follows the company’s successful completion of Y Combinator’s Summer 2024 cohort.

The GSMA, in partnership with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has launched the GSMA Innovation Fund for Impactful AI, to empower small and growing enterprises in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) across Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific.

MintNeuro, a startup working in scalable, low-power semiconductor technology for minimally-invasive neural implant applications, has announced that it is the recipient of three major funding awards from the UK government’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) in collaboration with leading institutions.

Recently, competition in the AI sector has been heating up, and it has now been reported that OpenAI is in talks of raising a new funding round of around $40 billion, which would lift the AI company’s valuation to as high as $340 billion.

Blackfinch Ventures, part of the Blackfinch Group, has invested £300,000 in Adia Thermal, a UK startup transforming the heat pump market with its innovative retrofit technology. The investment reflects Blackfinch’s focus on supporting companies that drive meaningful progress in the energy transition while delivering strong potential returns for investors.

BGF deployed £489 million in 2024, introducing 47 businesses into its diverse portfolio of 360 companies.

Smartify, the visitor engagement platform, has successfully raised £1.5 million to bring new technologies to the arts and culture sector and continue expanding its international presence.

When Fajer Mushtaq turned on the tap as a child in Delhi, one question always loomed: was the water safe? Today, that same question haunts communities worldwide as PFAS – toxic “forever chemicals” used in everything from non-stick pans to firefighting foam – contaminate water supplies at an alarming rate. Today, Swiss startup Oxyle has announced a $16 million funding round to scale its breakthrough solution to destroy, not just relocate, PFAS from wastewater. This builds on its $3 million pre-seed round in 2022, growing support for its mission.

Sports-focused investment company APEX, backed by professional athletes, has announced its strategic investment in Baller League. The concept is a trailblazing 6-a-side football competition that merges the worlds of street football and internet influencers in an innovative fusion of sport and entertainment.

Molten Ventures has announced its participation as a co-lead investor in the $5.5 million seed funding round for Sightline, a market intelligence platform powering the transition economy.

Swedish startup Adsorbi, a research-based spinout from Chalmers University of Technology, has raised €1 million in funding from Metsä Spring, Chalmers Ventures, Jovitech Invest, and a grant from Sweden’s Innovation Agency for its cellulose-based air purification material.

Three London-based startups have won funding after pitching their ventures to a panel of business leaders in Deliveroo’s annual Big Pitch event.

BOW, the universal robotics software company, has announced closing a £4 million seed round. The round was led by Northern Gritstone, the investment business focused on science and technology businesses in the North of England, with co-investors Finance Yorkshire and Praetura Ventures as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II.

Forest, one of Europe’s most innovative shared bike operators, that last year submitted a tender to operate e-bikes in Paris, has secured £13 million in the first close of its Series B round, including a facility of up to £10 million in Asset-Backed Finance from Fintex Capital.

Atelerix, a Newcastle University spinout that is transforming the way that biosamples essential for drug discovery and pharmaceutical research are stored and transported, has raised £750,000, with participation from ACF Investors and biotech specialist investors o2h Ventures, bringing the year’s total funding to £1.25 million.

TravelPerk, the business travel platform, has announced a new Series E fundraise of $200 million. The investment is led by European venture capital firm Atomico, alongside EQT Growth, with significant participation from Noteus Partners and existing investors, including Kinnevik and General Catalyst. The oversubscribed round nearly doubles TravelPerk’s valuation to $2.7 billion.

Every company today faces mounting pressure to deploy AI, but most solutions fall short on reliability and cannot handle complex, critical workflows.

International law firm Herbert Smith Freehills has advised Streambased, a specialist in streaming data analytics and management, on its $2.7 million in seed funding led by Elaia. Other backers include Seedcamp, TKM, and First Momentum as well as industry expert angels. This funding round will go towards hiring and R&D to expand their tech capabilities.

Cyclic Materials has announced a $2 million investment from InMotion Ventures, the investment arm of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). This latest backing lifts the company’s Series B round to $55 million, underscoring its critical role in advancing sustainable supply chains for the automotive industry and beyond.