London-based Vamstar, which is creating the world's first AI powered B2B healthcare marketplace, has completed a $1.7 million seed funding led by btov with participation from Antler and Begin Capital.

AttoCore, the developer of scalable and flexible 4G and 5G core network solutions is pleased to announce a strategic investment from Lansdowne Investment Company Cyprus Ltd.

The Imperial College Innovation Fund (ICIF), an early-stage investment fund launched at Imperial in early 2020 and managed by Parkwalk Advisors to invest in early-stage, high-growth, knowledge-intensive companies, has completed its first investment of £205,000 into Charco Neurotech. 

The team of designers, doctors, engineers and scientists at Charco Neurotech are developing a non-invasive vibrating device called CUE1 to help manage Parkinson’s symptoms. The investment from ICIF is part of a £500,000 seed round from investors, including Amadeus Capital Partners, Crista Galli, RCA and Oxbridge Angels. The investment will be used to launch CUE 1 in the UK/EU market in early 2021. 

Antler, the global early-stage VC, has announced it will launch in Copenhagen.   The goal is to attract and support 70-100 highly specialised founders on an annual basis.  Following an investment of DKK 50 million into Antler’s Nordic Fund from the Danish state’s investment fund Vækstfonden, Antler will help build and invest in sustainable tech companies. Vækstfonden’s investment is being made from Denmark’s Green Future Fund.

Woodall Group, the owner of Midlands house builder Woodall Homes, has received a £4.25 million investment from BGF, the UK’s most active growth capital investor. Funding will be used to support the accelerated acquisition of land in prime locations, to underpin long term growth, and to increase development activity and building output over the coming years.  

CybSafe, the behavioural security platform that’s transforming the way organisations manage human cyber risk, has raised £5.6m ($7.9m) Series A1 funding. It was led by deep tech investors, IQ Capital with participation from Hannover Digital Investments GmbH (HDI Group) and B8 Ventures. The investment comes as a result of the company’s continued momentum, its pioneering use of data and behavioural science and growth of the market opportunity.

ETIQ, a startup that helps financial companies identify and eliminate bias within their algorithms, has raised £585,000 in pre-seed funding. The funding includes equity investment from SFC Capital and grants from Innovate UK, and will be used for R&D to improve the platform as well as to expand the company’s marketing and sales functions.

Antler has appointed Karl-Christian Agerup as a Partner, focusing on the company’s investment operations and strategy globally. 

Rockley Photonics, a leading integrated optics solutions provider, has closed an additional $65m round of growth capital from both new private funds and follow-on existing investor Morningside Ventures. To date, Rockley has raised over $290m of financing to develop its unique silicon photonics platform from recent investors such as Credit Suisse backed SIG-I Capital and Applied Ventures, LLC, the venture capital arm of Applied Materials, Inc.

Slingshot Simulations, a spinout from the University of Leeds which is a global pioneer in the field of ‘digital twin’ technology, has raised a further £1.5m of investment as it prepares to roll out its system to its first commercial customers.

The funding comes from existing investor NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF), as well as the government’s Future Fund, and will help the business to scale its operations.

eFront, the leading financial software and solutions provider dedicated to Alternative Investments, has published its latest Quarterly Private Equity Performance report, showing that venture capital funds globally delivered exceptional performance in 2020, despite the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the second and third quarters marking the highest returns on record.

BGF backed 61 new companies in 2020 whilst continuing to actively support its portfolio. During this period, total investment stands at £384 million, which includes £262 million into new portfolio companies and £122 million into existing portfolio companies.