In the West Midlands, the startup ecosystem is getting a boost from an unlikely source: local pension funds and the combined authority. Involved from the start of this innovative approach is Rupert Lyle, Principal of the West Midlands Co-Investment Fund. This pioneering fund, launched two years ago, is changing how regional businesses get financed, offering a blueprint for how pension capital can fuel homegrown innovation.
A critical financial skills gap is undermining the resilience and growth of small businesses across the UK, according to new research by Xero.
Creator Fund, the pre-seed VC fund that helps scientific founders turn research into deeptech startups, has announced an initial close of $41 million for its first European institutional fund.
Rachel Curtis spent three decades in financial services, building a career focused on customer experience, operations, and marketing. But it was a digital transformation project that opened her eyes to the potential of a new kind of technology, and the gaping need for it.
The UK Government has announced fourteen flagship projects funded under its new Regional Tech Booster programme, aimed at stimulating tech ecosystems and creating job opportunities across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and in all English regions. The £1 million initiative will support businesses, founders, and communities through training, mentoring, networking, and scaling support, designed to spread tech-led growth beyond London and the South East.
Beyond Aero has reached Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL6) for its hydrogen-electric powered aircraft. This achievement is validated by a full-scale propulsion system test campaign in a representative environment, a critical milestone moving Beyond Aero from laboratory promise to real-industrial viability.
OXCCU, the Oxford University spin-out developing a one-step process to convert waste carbon into sustainable aviation fuel, has raised £20.75 million ($28 million) in an oversubscribed Series B funding round.
Clarifeye, the platform enabling organisations to build expert AI agents at scale, has announced that it has raised a €4 million pre-seed round led by EQT Ventures. The round also includes participation from Drysdale Ventures, Olivier Pomel (CEO and founder Datadog), Jean-Luc Robert (ex-CEO Kyriba), Alexandre Berriche (Fleet), and other prominent angel investors.
For many startups, “going global” used to be an aspiration saved for later stages of growth. But today, ambitious young companies are thinking differently. They’re building globally distributed teams from the outset, treating international hiring not as an expansion strategy, but as a foundation for growth.
Over £4 million funding has been awarded to British businesses developing next-generation aviation technology, with winners announced today (29th September 2025).
enaDyne, a startup specialising in fully-electric, non-thermal plasma catalysis technology for sustainable chemical production, has raised €7 million in seed funding. The round was co-led by Amadeus APEX Technology Fund (a collaboration between Amadeus Capital Partners and APEX Ventures) and Energy Capital Ventures, with participation from Antares Ventures, Possible Ventures, and returning business angels Wolfram Drescher, Andreas Werne, and Sven Sieber.
A new, outcomes-focused initiative will support 150 startups led by entrepreneurs from traditionally overlooked groups across the UK to raise investment and scale. Launched by a consortium of award-winning organisations, the programme replaces fragmented efforts with a joined-up national solution designed to deliver real funding outcomes.
UK-based robotics and AI company Humanoid has launched HMND 01 Alpha, the country’s first humanoid robot for industrial use. Built in just seven months, Alpha represents the fastest humanoid development cycle in history.
electronRx, a digital medicine and biomarker company driving healthcare through pulmonary innovation, has announced that it will launch pDx. The pDx app offers chronic respiratory disease (CRD) patients a cardiopulmonary assessment device, engineered to medical grade standards, to measure lung function at home using a mobile phone, laptop, or tablet.
Humanoid Global, a publicly traded investment issuer focused on building and accelerating a portfolio of pioneering companies in the humanoid robotics and embodied AI sector, is pleased to announce that it has closed its indirect strategic investment in Agility Robotics via a single-asset special purpose vehicle.
Belgian water technology company Shayp has launched Shayp 4IMPACT, a corporate water conservation and efficiency platform that delivers quantifiable, verified benefits through precision monitoring.
Women exit from their businesses for 25% less than their male peers on average, wealth management firm Evelyn Partners has revealed.
Omnea, an AI-native procurement intake and orchestration platform, has raised a $50 million Series B funding round to accelerate its shift to a new era of AI-powered supplier relationship management. The round was led by Insight Partners and Khosla Ventures, with participation from Accel, Point Nine, First Round Capital, and Prosus, bringing total funding to over $75 million.
The UK Government has announced a landmark £150 billion investment package from US-based private sector firms during the US state visit, marking a major milestone for UK–US economic ties and reinforcing the UK’s position as a global hub for innovation and technology
Dr Florence Concepcion, Senior Quantum Engineer at Aquark Technologies has been awarded Innovate UK funding as part of the Future Leader Fellowship. The four-year fellowship will provide £1.9 million to support Dr Concepcion’s £2.7 million project to advance research in the miniaturisation and scalability of vacuum systems for scalable quantum technologies.
