Funding

The planet is facing a real biodiversity crisis that can no longer be ignored. More than half of the global GDP relies to some extent on nature, and according to the IPBES, one million species are currently threatened, representing the sixth mass extinction. This is a matter of urgency, and businesses have an important role to play in protecting biodiversity. Together with darwin, they will find the keys to more sustainable business models.

Tembo, the award-winning digital savings and mortgage platform, specialising in maximising affordability, has raised £14 million in funding. The Series B round was led by Goodwater Capital with participation from Tembo’s existing investors including Aviva, Ascension Ventures, Love Ventures and McPike Family Office. This brings the company’s total funding raised to £20 million.

Akhetonics, the pioneer of the a true all-optical digital processor, has raised €6 million in a funding round led by Matterwave Ventures, with participation from 468 Capital, Bayern Kapital, and existing investors Runa Capital, Rheingau Founders, and more.

Recent findings from the government’s Invest in Women Taskforce paint a concerning picture for female entrepreneurs in the UK. Private-equity investment in women-led businesses dropped to 1.8% in the first half of this year, down from 2.5% in 2023. This decline exacerbates an already challenging landscape, where fewer than 6% of active equity-backed companies have female founders.

A London businesswoman has been selected from more than 800 other female entrepreneurs to win £15,000 in business support to help scale her new finance app which will encourage more women to invest their money.

SatVu, a global company in climate technology, has secured £20 million in strategic funding, comprising a £10 million landmark equity round co-led by European venture capital firm Adara Ventures and existing investor Molten Ventures, and an insurance payout.

Volter, the operating system for commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftop solar, has secured $3.2 million in pre-seed funding. The round was led by Transition, with participation from Seedcamp as well as Neptunia, a prominent real estate investor.

Mario Draghi’s recent EU competitiveness report is a stark reminder of what needs to change in Europe’s wider venture capital (VC) scene. The report argues that insufficient venture capital has limited the growth of European tech and economic growth more widely; estimating that an additional €800 billion in annual investment, mostly from the private sector, is needed for the continent to catch up with the US and China.

Latvian defence tech startup Origin has secured €4.5 million from the European Defence Fund (EDF) to develop a man-portable ISTAR drone (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance) with target laser designation capability.

Bristol-based aerospace startup, Vertical Aerospace, has announced a major funding injection, after financially struggling in recent times.

The UK’s largest ever pre- A funding round for a digital diagnostics company, has been announced by Cambridge-based healthtech startup, PocDoc.

Molyon – the spinout developing next-generation batteries with double the energy density of current lithium-ion batteries – has raised $4.6 million in its first funding co-led by IQ Capital and Plural. The funding will kickstart manufacturing at its pilot facility in Cambridge through expansion of the core team including battery engineers, material scientists and operations staff.

Argil, the video engine for the creator economy, has announced it has raised €4.9 million in pre-seed and seed funding as it emerges from the Y Combinator incubator. The company raised €3.9 million in a round led by EQT Ventures and with participation from renowned youtuber Kwebblekop, who has over 15 million subscribers and uses Argil to grow his own Youtube channel, and Charles Gorintin, Co-Founder & CTO of Alan, Co-Founding Advisor of Mistral AI.

HyperHeat, the startup using renewable energy to make Zero-Carbon industrial heat, has successfully raised €3.5 million in a funding round. The investment was led by the Amadeus APEX Technology Fund with participation from Finindus, Possible Ventures, E44 Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Fellows, and a group of seasoned business angel investors.

Biolevate, a software company accelerating healthcare innovations through AI, has announced that it has raised €6 million in a seed funding round led by EQT Ventures, with participation from bpifrance and prominent angel investors.

Trilateral Research, which investigates ethical AI solutions to address a range of complex social issues, has secured a £2.5 million investment from Growth Lending. The funds will facilitate the growth of the business as Trilateral Research accelerates the rollout of ethical AI products, which are designed to tackle complex social issues such as child safeguarding, modern slavery and public health.

Ukrainian startup GetOrder, a rising star in the restaurant-tech sector, has raised $250,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by the venture capital fund Digital Future, with additional backing from the United Angels Network. The funding will drive the company’s expansion into European markets and enhance its product offerings for the restaurant industry, aiming to streamline operations and improve efficiency.

The Invest in Women Taskforce has secured over £250 million in funding to support female entrepreneurs in the UK.

MAGIC AI, the startup that has created the fitness mirror that uses AI to track and train its users has announced it has raised a $5 million funding round.

emma, the cloud management platform transforming how businesses optimise and scale their cloud infrastructure, has announced the successful closure of its $17 million Series A funding round. This follows its $6 million Seed Round in March 2023, bringing total funding to $23 million within two years.