DRIFT Energy, a British startup set to make green energy at sea using hi-tech sailing vessels, has successfully completed its seed funding round. The round was spearheaded by Octopus Ventures, a prominent venture capital firm in the UK and Europe, with additional backing from Blue Action Accelerator. This round secured £4.65 million, a critical investment that will enable DRIFT Energy to scale its operations and initiate vessel production in the coming year.

Finances are the bedrock of any business and entrepreneurs with long-term plans may opt to secure additional funding and investment to power that growth.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are often sadly overlooked when it comes to getting finance. According to government figures, UK SMEs account for nearly two-thirds of employment, and this pattern is similar in other markets around the world.

While running any business comes with a fair share of financial risk, this must be within measure, and carefully controlled. If you find your business overwhelmed with debts, the turning point will be determined by the speed at which you attempt to save the business.

Sahara AI, a decentralised blockchain platform designed to ensure fairness and openness in AI, has announced it has secured $43 million in funding.

Vapaus, the Finnish employee bike benefit company, has secured €10 million in a Series A funding round. This equity investment will drive the company's international expansion, enhance software development, automate its platform, and scale its innovative PreCycled concept for the second-hand bike market.

Trumpet, a platform designed to centre buyers in the sales process, has secured $6.35 million in a competitive seed funding round, led by AlbionVC. Returning investors Lightbird Ventures, Anamcara Capital, and Triple Point Ventures also participated.

Adamo Foods, a foodtech startup from the UK, has secured $2.5 million in seed funding, co-led by UK Innovation Science and Seed Fund (UKI2S), Future Planet Capital, and Joyful Ventures. This investment will accelerate Adamo’s efforts to launch the first ultra-realistic beef steak alternative made from fungi, catering to the rising demand for healthier, higher-quality meat substitutes.

CIBC Innovation Banking has extended a debt financing package to Wemolo, a German technology firm specialising in digital parking solutions driven by licence plate recognition. Operating across more than 2,500 properties throughout Europe, Wemolo plans to use the funding to broaden its product offerings and increase its presence across the continent.

Collo, a Finnish tech startup specialising in IoT analysers for industrial liquid processes, has secured €5 million in growth funding. This latest investment round was co-led by SEB Greentech Venture Capital from Sweden and the Dutch deep tech investor FORWARD.one, with additional backing from existing investor, Danish deep tech firm Scale Capital.

Gaussion, a spinoff from University College London (UCL), has introduced an approach that significantly improves battery performance. By applying an external magnetic field during charging and discharging, Gaussion's technology guides ions more efficiently within existing battery cells. This not only enables faster charging but also reduces cell degradation, thereby extending battery lifespan.

Userled, an AI-powered startup revolutionising B2B personalised marketing at scale, has secured £4 million in a pre-seed funding round led by LocalGlobe, with participation from Dig Ventures. This funding will fuel the company’s mission to recruit top-tier talent and develop cutting-edge martech solutions.

Impactpool, an AI-powered career platform, has secured $4 million in Series A funding, led by Mediahuis and Fort Knox. This investment will bolster Impactpool's advanced AI matching technology and further its mission to connect one billion professionals with organisations focused on impactful change.

US-based Filmustage, an innovative AI platform revolutionising film pre-production, recently announced it had secured a $1.5 million seed funding round. The funding was led by UK-based VC fund Raw Ventures, with participation from US-based Geek Ventures and other investors.

Monumo, a tech startup blending advanced AI with traditional engineering to reimagine the electric drive unit, has secured £750,000 in funding from Innovate UK, a part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

In 2023, the Labour Party promised that if it won the election, small businesses would be at the heart of its agenda in government. Days after coming into office it has already announced plans for a £7 billion wealth fund to 'unlock investment' in the UK, with reforms set to be made to the British Business Bank to help improve funding for startup businesses.

Bluechain, the EIS-certified fintech transforming payments and receivables, has experienced remarkable growth in 2024, building on a robust performance in 2023. With a surge in users, transaction volume, and revenue, Bluechain has launched an opening funding round to fuel its next growth phase. 

Riverlane, a startup in quantum error correction (QEC) technology, has secured $75 million in Series C funding to advance its ambitious QEC roadmap. This investment will bolster Riverlane's efforts to scale operations and meet the growing global demand for QEC technology, with the ambitious target of achieving one million error-free quantum computer operations by 2026.

Muon Space, an end-to-end space systems provider specialising in mission-specific low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, recently completed a successful Series B funding round, raising $56.7 million.

PHINXT Robotics, an AI-driven robotics software company, has secured £2 million in an oversubscribed funding round. This round was led by Sure Valley Ventures and included participation from Ada Ventures, Heartfelt, and Atlas Ventures.