Edmund, a Czech-based startup specialising in AI solutions for manufacturing, has closed a €500,000 pre-seed round led by Lighthouse Ventures, with Czech Founders VC, Borovicka Capital, and deeptech investor Tensor Ventures joining. This round of fundraising will be used to enhance Edmund’s platform and expand its presence throughout the EU and US markets.
The second Future of Capitalism Competition, founded by The Leo Lion Company, took place on the 12th February at The Shard in London. The Startups Magazine team went along to the evening to learn more about the startup finalists of this year’s competition, and to celebrate with the finalists and winners.
Bluebook, the AI-powered software specifically designed for savvy accounting firms eager to embrace AI innovation and transform traditional accounting practices, has announced it has raised $3 million in funding including $2.5 million pre-seed round led by EQT Ventures and a separate capital injection from Y Combinator. Angel investors in the pre-seed round include Huey Lin (Founding COO of Affirm), Laura Modiano (OpenAI) and Carles Reina (Eleven Labs).
Fintech scaleup Revving, which is reshaping digital media payments through innovative invoice factoring, has secured a £107 million investment led by global asset manager DWS.
HowNow – the AI-powered learning and skills platform, has announced the completion of its Series A funding having raised a total of £7.5 million. Following an initial £4 million Series A investment from Mercia Ventures and FTSE 100 education firm Pearson in February 2023, HowNow recently secured a further £3.5 million from the same two investors, along with Fuel Ventures.
Breakthrough, an AI self-learning B2B sales messaging startup that launched at the end of 2024, has already secured $600,000 in a pre-seed round, and secured customers including Fortune 500 companies.
DeepL, a global Language AI company, has unveiled its latest whitepaper, “The language revolution: how AI improves the way businesses communicate.” Based on findings from a new DeepL survey of EMEA and US business leaders, as well as external sources, the report explores the intersection of language and AI in business, covering critical topics ranging from global corporate AI adoption trends, to the financial impact of poor communication on international businesses, and the real-world impact and value of Language AI tools.
Gigged.AI, has released a 36-page report entitled ‘The AI Talent Crisis: How Skills-Powered Organisations Can Unlock the UK’s Potential’ which has raised concerns over the deepening AI skills gap in the workforce, with an overwhelming 92% of companies prioritising upskilling in Generative AI. However, the report which surveyed UK businesses, also highlights a major concern: Government policies, particularly IR35 and rising
A couple of Manchester-based graduates have successfully launched the B2B travel-tech platform Arcube, with Etihad Airways as its first customer. In conjunction with the launch, Arcube is announcing a $1.5 million seed round to further develop the platform and its services, co-led by Fuel Ventures and Oxford Capital.
CUTISS AG, a life sciences company at the forefront of tissue engineering therapy and regenerative medicine, has announced positive long-term efficacy and safety readout in the Phase 2 clinical trials of denovoSkin in reconstructive surgery as well as in burns treatment.
The UK government should draw on the creativity and insights of Britain’s ambitious small business community if it is to achieve its “number one mission” to grow the economy, says a new report published by Goldman Sachs.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has launched a new AI playbook, guiding the ‘safe and effective’ use of AI in the public sector.
Leap Venture Studio & Academy, the pet care startup accelerator, has announced the launch of its ninth accelerator programme. The studio offers pet care startup founders a highly customised, hybrid programme tailored to support and provide resources to early-stage startups, in addition to $200,000 in funding. The newest cohort kicks off in Nashville on February 24, and will culminate with a Demo Day in London on May 16.
MarketLeap, the fully integrated AI-driven platform to simplify and scale D2C ecommerce, has announced an $8 million Series A funding round led by Smedvig Ventures, with participation from Expon Capital, Motier Ventures, and prominent business angels including former executives from Amazon, SoftBank, and Unilever. This capital injection will allow the company to accelerate platform development and invest in top talent to support its rapid growth trajectory.
Nina Capital, a venture capital firm dedicated to healthcare transformation through technology, has announced the first close of its €50 million Fund III. The new fund will propel Nina Capital’s total assets under management to over €100 million, reinforcing its position as a leading international investor driving impactful healthcare innovation.
MyWorkSpot is a flexible office and co-working provider based in Maidenhead, Berkshire. Currently operating three locations in the area, MyWorkSpot is “a home for startups, established local businesses, and even large international corporations, where we provide satellite offices or desks for employees who want to work closer to home,” explained David Johnston, Co-Founder of MyWorkSpot.
SumUp has become a recognisable name in the point-of-sale (PoS) space. Since its inception in 2012, the company has become a global fintech, supporting more than 3.5 million merchants in over 30 markets across the world.
UBS has published its first Global Entrepreneur Report, based on a survey of 156 UBS entrepreneur clients and network members across a full range of economic sectors. Their businesses account for approximately $19.1 billion in combined annual revenue, which equates to an average of $123 million each.
Nearly half of the global population is projected to experience a mental health disorder by age 75. It shows that there is an urgent need for more effective mental wellness solutions as relying on traditional medication, and even therapy hasn’t slowed the mental health pandemic.
Austrian synthetic data startup MOSTLY AI has announced the release of the world’s first industry-grade open source toolkit for producing synthetic data from real customer data. The open source toolkit is freely available now.
