The SPRINT (SPace Research and Innovation Network for Technology) programme has secured major funding from Research England’s Connecting Capability Fund (CCF). 

Gravitee.io – The open source API management platform that gives businesses and their developers unprecedented control over their entire API ecosystem has raised $11m in a Series A round, co-led by AlbionVC and Oxx, to power its expansion in the burgeoning API management market, which is predicted to be worth USD 22 billion by 2028.

Elestial Limited, an Oxfordshire-based start-up, has signed up to the national SPRINT business support programme to collaborate with the University of Surrey on a new project focused on orbital debris removal. SPRINT funding will enable Elestial to conduct a new feasibility study with Surrey Space Centre's STAR LAB to evaluate its orbital platform concept and assess design requirements for suitable deployment in various orbital applications.

A new technology platform designed to generate long term royalties for artists and venues will be launched this August by Kasabian drummer Ian Matthews and his long-time friend and tech entrepreneur Irfon Watkins. 

GP Bullhound acted as exclusive financial advisor to Bliss Point Media on its sale to Tinuiti, a portfolio company of New Mountain Capital.  Bliss Point Media is the largest independent purchaser of streaming/OTT media in America, with over USD500 million in media currently under management. Bliss Point Media uses an algorithmic approach based on proprietary machine learning technology for unparalleled insight and efficiency in the media buying and attribution process. The company helps establish, optimise, and scale TV and streaming video advertising campaigns for innovative direct-to-consumer brands like Fabletics, Instacart, Square, Thumbtack, and Tonal.

Data self-sovereignty is fundamental to a company’s resilience and yet communication platforms, like Whatsapp and Signal, are not sufficient for organisations compliantly handling sensitive information on a daily basis. Worldr is building a new type of communications and messaging platform built around privacy, security and data protection in team communication without compromising usability. It has now announced a $3million seed investment from some of the biggest names in deep tech, defence and finance as it heads into public launch later this year.

Ntropy, a company removing data barriers to understand financial transactions, has announced a $3.2M seed round led by QED Investors, who has previously invested in fintech unicorns Nubank, Klarna, and Current. Ntropy’s API enables businesses to convert raw data into contextualised and structured information understood by both man and machine.  January Ventures also participated in the investment round, along with founders and executives from Ramp, Square and Stripe.

Multi-family investment office, Arete, has made a significant investment as part of a multi-million-pound deal in North West based, Vivify. The scale-up provides a digital platform as well as a fully managed service where under-utilised school facilities can be listed for hire to maximise social and physical activities within communities and generate much-needed revenue for schools.

The audio app Anyone has been one of the most talked-about audio apps coming out of Nordics in the last year, making it onto Business Insider’s global list of startups poised to take off in 2021 and dubbed one of Sweden’s hottest startups in Sifted.  The Stockholm-based start-up has now announced a $3.6 million seed investment, with the round led by Cavalry Ventures along with participation from Supernode Global, Antler and a number of high-profile angel investors.

Scotland-based HV Systems (HVS) has secured a £5 million capital injection from Beehive Equity Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of EG Group (EG). Multiple award-winning HVS will now take its innovative hydrogen vehicle designs through prototyping and demonstration, allowing manufacturing to commence.

Climate X, a London-based purpose-driven startup, has completed its pre-seed raise of £1.1M – ushering in a new era of climate intelligence that will help businesses, governments and individuals around the world build a stronger, climate-resilient future.

Innovate Finance, the industry body representing UK FinTech, today publishes details of the record-breaking investment secured across the UK FinTech sector during the first six months of 2021.

The UK FinTech sector raised a total of $5.7bn in H1 2021, outstripping the total investment secured in 2020 ($4.3bn) by 34% and breaking the record year set in 2019 ($4.6bn) by 26%.