Nigeria: Releaf, a technology company that makes it easier for consumer goods manufacturers in Africa to access high-quality ingredients for their factories, has raised $3.3 million in an oversubscribed Pre-Series A funding round. The new funding will support the launch of two new technologies: Kraken II - a portable version of its award-winning palm nut de-sheller and SITE - a geospatial mapping application that informs the most profitable positioning of food processing assets.

Kuai Commerce has closed a Pre-Seed Round, raising $2.4m to build its social commerce solution for D2C brands looking to sell in the world’s largest ecommerce market, China.

HR tech company Huler, whose platform has attracted a host of blue-chip clients within its first year has raised £2m from Mercia’s EIS funds, the MEIF Proof of Concept & Early Stage Fund, which is managed by Mercia and part of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund, and private investors.

The funding will enable Stoke-based Huler to further develop its employee experience platform and create at least 12 new jobs in the year ahead. Huler acts as a ‘launchpad’, bringing together different programs, apps and content that employees require within a slick user interface that provides easy access and improves productivity.

USA: CyberCube, the market leader in cyber risk analytics, has announced $50 million in additional growth capital 

CheMastery has raised a seed round led by Science Angel Syndicate, the deep science investor group, and Undeterred Capital. The round was supported by Elbow Beach Capital, Britbots, HERmesa, Fink Family Office, Kadmos Capital, Formic Ventures, Cur8, Key Ventures, Dhyan and angel investors.

Foresight Group has provided a £400,000 growth capital investment into Texture Jet Limited from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund as part of a wider £650,000 funding round, also involving the University of Nottingham and members of the Minerva Angel Investor Group.  

*EU* fruitcore robotics, pioneer of intelligent robotics and automation solutions and creator of HORST digital robots, has raised €23 million to enable companies of all sizes – from medium-sized businesses to global corporations – to introduce robotics- and automation solutions into their manufacturing. Three years after its market launch, fruitcore robotics is already automating several hundred different applications in 29 different industries in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. The 60+ partner network in the DACH region and Italy is being continuously expanded.  

Irish cybersecurity start-up Vaultree has closed a $12.8m Series A funding round led by Molten Ventures.

EMV Capital, the deeptech and venture capital specialist, a wholly owned subsidiary of NetScientific plc, the international life sciences and sustainable technology investment and commercialisation group, is delighted to announce that it has led an investment round in Edinburgh based Sofant Technologies Ltd.  NetScientific, Scottish Enterprise, Kelvin Capital Limited, and The Future Fund joined EMVC in this investment round.

Manchester-based green tech start-up enee.io has secured over £1 million of investment in its latest funding round led by Green Angel Syndicate and US venture development firm Factor[e].

Belgium: Classified Cycling, a Belgium-based company developing innovative technology for the cycling industry, today announces it has closed a funding round of €22 million led by Active Partners, the investors behind well-known cycling brands Rapha and Evans Cycles. Existing investor Bridford Investments Limited continue to support Classified by participating in the round. The company’s investors also include well-respected Olympic and World Champion riders, Tom Boonen, Anna Van der Breggen, Andre Greipel and Marcel Kittel.

EcoSync, an Oxford University start-up offering innovative dynamic, room-by-room energy management solutions for commercial buildings, has raised close to £1m in its second seed funding round. At a very exciting stage in its development, the energy management technology start-up is looking forward to expanding into new sectors beyond higher education, bringing its energy saving benefits to other commercial buildings such as offices, schools and hotels.