Read Beauhurst's SaaS Brief which gives an overview of Software-as-a-Service companies in the UK, who the top companies are and the latest funding trends.

London-based insurtech firm Zego has raised $42million in one of the largest funding rounds for a European insurtech start-up. 

Tech Nation, the leading network for ambitious tech entrepreneurs in the UK, has for the fifth-year running revealed a continued rise in demand for applications for the Tech Nation Visa, as the UK’s world-leading digital technology sector continues to attract exceptional talent from around the world.

The Ticket Fairy, a growth and sales channel partner for the live events industry, has announced the official launch of its cloud-based events platform - an easy-to-use, self-service solution, combining ticketing, marketing and event management, that increases revenue, reduces financial risk, and provides event organisers, venues and tour managers with access to unparalleled data, analytics and intelligence. 

QuarterOne, the sales forecasting software start-up for SMEs, raises first major investment from Seedcamp, the influential European seed fund

UK boards are seriously lacking non-executive directors with skills and expertise in technology, new research from Russell Reynolds Associates a leading global leadership advisory and search firm, reveals.

Fewer than half (44 percent) of FTSE 100 companies have a technology expert on their board, falling to 37 percent for FTSE 350 businesses (excluding technology and telecoms companies). Russell Reynolds Associates defines a technology expert as someone with substantial technology experience, gained through either a senior commercial role in a technology company or a technology role in a corporate (e.g., CIO or CTO) [2].

Funderbeam, the global funding and trading platform, has raised US$ 4.5 million in Series A funding, led by UK-based Accelerated Digital Ventures (ADV). The round includes new investors such as GK-Plug and Play Indonesia, Pandan Ventures, with existing investors including Draper Associates, Draper Venture Partners, IQ Capital, and Mistletoe also taking part.

Nexeon, the company developing and supplying battery materials for rechargeable Li-ion batteries, is leading a new project to optimise coating technology for its silicon material. This approach will result in improved cell performance, and also extend the system compatibility of silicon anode materials, allowing use of lower cost electrolyte formulations and lower overall battery cell costs.

Digital livestock production, smart plants and 24/7 indoor salad production are some of the ways the digital revolution is driving rapid growth in the agri-tech sector. Start-ups 30MHZ, Breedr and LettUs Grow are part of a new breed of technology companies aiming to improve productivity and sustainability in agriculture, but they will be quick to stress at CWIC 2019 that domain knowledge has been essential for success. They are presenting in the Agriculture track of the conference, hosted by Agri-Tech East and Allia Serious Impact.

Business to business (b2b) telecoms provider Challenger Mobile Communications is targeting growth after a management succession buyout supported by a £1.4m loan from the Development Bank of Wales.

Kernel Capital and Par Equity have led a £1.2M investment in Datactics Limited, a Belfast-based provider of RegTech solutions for the banking and financial services sector.  This is the second round of funding secured by the company from The Bank of Ireland Kernel Capital Growth Fund (NI).  Datactics provides data quality and matching software to the financial services industry and government departments to help financial firms measure, clean and match data ahead of a regulatory reporting, business intelligence or analytics process. 

Immedis, a specialist provider of enterprise technology solutions for global payroll and mobility tax services to multinationals, has today announced that it has secured €25 million in  strategic investment from Scottish Equity Partners (SEP), a top-performing venture capital and growth equity firm backed by blue chip international investors including the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund.  Payroll technology solution, iConnect, which has revolutionised the global payroll market due to its use of robotic process automation, AI and powerful data visualisation. Clients have grown to include Uber, Wayfair, First Derivatives, NYIT, and DCC.