Funding

The Royal Countryside Fund, in partnership with Forest Holidays, is excited to announce the opening of applications for the Rural StartUp Fund, now in its fourth year. This year, a total of £5,000 is available, which can be awarded to either a single winning business or divided among several rural startups.

Raw Ventures, a Venture Fund in Europe specialising in MediaTech innovation, has unveiled a bi-weekly online pitching programme exclusively for early-stage MediaTech startups.

It’s not an easy time to get investment. Interest rates are stubbornly high and show no sign of coming down soon. Recent ONS data suggests capital formation is at its lowest point since the financial crash in 2008.

BirdsEyeView, an insurtech startup supported by the European Space Agency, has successfully concluded an investment round with contributions from the European Space Agency, Big 5 Investors, InsurTech NY, and ACF Investors.

Myth AI – the tech startup behind an AI-driven pattern design tool, has successfully secured funding of $1.3 million. This funding is earmarked to bolster its UK operations and to explore new market opportunities.

Securing investment from venture capitalists significantly increases chances of entrepreneurial success, especially when it comes to scaling a business quickly and establishing credibility. But as of 2020 the probability of a new business getting VC funding was about 0.05%.

Businesses in the North of Tyne area, Gateshead, and Sunderland with ambitions to grow can apply to a brand-new funding scheme, the Business Growth Fund which aims to support businesses on their unique journeys to success.

UK university spinouts have received another boost as Science Creates seals a £8.5 million deal to open its third state-of-the-art deep tech incubator in Bristol.

Rayan Jawad is Co-Founder of Growth Studio. The business has 20 years combined experience helping startups around the world commercialise technology, secure investment through accelerator programmes and grow with customised support.

Harriet, the groundbreaking full-stack AI solution designed to ready companies’ internal data for the AI revolution, relieve People teams of their daily administrative burdens, and provide personalised HR assistance to every staff member, has successfully raised a £1.2 million pre-seed funding round.

Klarytee, a software platform dedicated to embedding security within data for large organisations handling sensitive information, has successfully completed a £700,000 pre-Seed funding round.

As interest rates are expected to decline, personal savers have been advised to capitalise on the remaining high rates. Which begs the question: is it now time for the population of UK small businesses to follow suit?

Data has shown that female-led startups tend to outperform their male counterparts, triggering a shift in VC funding patterns.

Scotland’s premier impact investor, SIS Ventures, has unveiled its first impact report, showcasing the positive effects on people and the environment made by its investee companies.

The year 2023 marked a challenging yet resilient phase for the European tech ecosystem. Facing tough macroeconomic conditions, Europe saw a significant reduction in funding levels, reaching just over half of 2022’s levels at $45 billion. Large funding rounds and the creation of new billion-dollar companies slowed down, testing the venture asset class’s strength and resilience​​. Startups Magazine looks at the Atomico State of European Tech Report 2023.

The slowdown in venture capital-led tech sector investment hasn’t proven to be a setback for Cloudsmith, a Belfast-headquartered software supply chain management firm, which has announced $11 million (£8.8 million) in Series A2 financing.

Failup Ventures, an emergent venture capital fund operating globally, recently announced the initial closing of €30 million for its new early-stage fund, which has a total size of €50 million. This fund was established by three Finnish entrepreneurs – Jesse Heikkilä, Topias Soininen, and Oscar Andersin.

HumanForest, the parent company of Forest – London’s most affordable and environmentally responsible eBike operator – has raised a £5 million extension to its Series A after securing investment from two venture capital firms and further funding from sustainable finance specialist, Triodos Bank UK.

When a startup or growth company is looking to raise investment, the choices can seem quite slim.

FundOnion has officially launched its AI-backed business finance comparison site for small business loans.