Green Angel Syndicate has backed NatureMetrics, a pioneer in sampling, sequencing and analysing Environmental DNA. eDNA is left behind in the environment by the creatures which pass through it – in water, soil, or droppings, for example.

NatureMetrics can extract minute quantities of eDNA from samples of water, sediment or soil, and identify the species that are present. This technology can be used to identify protected species, such as great crested newts, damaging invasive species such as zebra mussels, and for Environmental Impact Assessments. 

A data pipeline management company set up by Google alumni and supported through its early days by Y Combinator, has secured a $2 million investment from LocalGlobe and angel investors. Dataform is building a platform to transform the way businesses manage their data warehouses, helping data teams publish, test and collaborate on datasets at scale. The seed funding will help the company continue to grow both its sales and engineering sides of the business and further develop its product. 

Fintech startup Joko has carried out its first fundraising with top-tier investors — Partech, Axeleo Capital, Lafayette Plug and Play, and several angel investors from the sector — to develop its simple and universal loyalty program integrated into credit or debit cards.

Traditional and single-brand loyalty programs are no longer appropriate for the customised buying experience that millennials want. With most brands, it is necessary to have the loyalty card with you and to scan it when you pay. Already existing programs are not or only slightly customised, and the consumer accumulating points on each of his programs has little visibility on the benefits he gets. As a result of this disappointing experience, millennials are increasingly abandoning these historical programs.

Ascension Ventures, the London-based investment firm, had an eventful evening at the annual UKBAA Angel Investment Awards.

As an angel looking to invest, what are the timing considerations? We all know that the successful start-up to exit journey is most dependent on the founders but that there are many additional important factors such as sufficient capital, successful technology, competition and an element of luck?Peter Cowley from The Invested Investor investigates....

British businesses in the regions are suffering heavily from ensuing disparities in investment. According to the independent report by the UK 2070 commission, the UK is one of the most regionally unbalanced countries in the industrialised world and the disparities will widen unless the government adopts a radical programme of investment.

Machine Labs, has announced £800,000 equity funding received from Techstart Ventures, the founders, angels investors with additional grant funding from Scottish Enterprise.  The seed funding will be used to recruit a team of eight based in offices opposite Edinburgh Castle.

Andrew Veitch, Founder and CEO of Machine Labs said: "For most of us database marketing is spam or junk mail. Machine Labs want to use machine learning to make marketing messages relevant, so consumers get the right offers at the right time instead of being irritated by marketing they are not interested in."

WeGift, the digital rewards platform, has secured £4 million in Series A funding, led by Fred Destin at Stride.vc, who also joins the Board of Directors, and other high-profile investors including SAP.iO fund and Unilever Ventures. WeGift also announced new angel investors including James Hind, founder of Carwow and Eamon Jubbawy at Onfido. This investment round will help WeGift deliver on its vision of creating the world’s first real-time infrastructure for digital rewards and incentives. The funds will be used to further scale WeGift’s operations, as well as to support the company’s expansion to the US, and for further investment in its technology platform. 

With a huge shift in emphasis towards regional funding support, the Connected Investing event series, hosted by the UK Business Angels Association, will lift the lid on the latest initiatives open to both the investor and start-up communities. 

London-based bakery, Orée, has raised £425,000 through Angel Investment Network (AIN) the UK’s largest online platform connecting angel investors with startup businesses.

HBAN, the all-island organisation responsible for the promotion of business angel investment and a joint initiative between Enterprise Ireland, InterTradeIreland and Invest Northern Ireland, today announces that its winning streak at the European Business Angels Network (EBAN) annual congress has continued. Phorest, the HBAN-backed salon software company, was named most successful business financed by early stage investors at this year’s event in Helsinki.

BlockClaim, the first hybrid artificial intelligence and blockchain technology solution developed for the insurance industry, has successfully completed its seed funding round with a £500,000 investment.