eXate, a London-based data software firm has announced a £2.3 million seed round led by Outward VC, with additional backing from ING Ventures and Triple Point Ventures, to accelerate the growth of its DataSecOps platform. eXate is democratising data privacy for organisations by providing a simple embedded platform that automates the technical enforcement of data policies, solving the large-scale challenges created by evolving and complex global data privacy regulations.

The Zero Carbon Fund has made an investment in the pre-seed funding round of Phycobloom, a UK-based bio-technology company engineering algae that will enable cheap, carbon-neutral biofuels that can power future air travel and more.

Private equity firm WestBridge has backed the senior management team at construction software company Eque2 to acquire the business from its existing shareholders.

Alderley Park-based proteomic-data science and diagnostics company, Kinomica, has secured £3.9 million in funding for pioneering technology 

Recycleye, the intelligent waste management start-up, has secured £1.2 million in seed funding, led by venture capital investors MMC Ventures and Playfair Capital, with participation from leading funds Atypical Ventures, Creator Fund, and eolos GmbH. The company has also received grants from InnovateUK and the European Union to develop a computer vision system and affordable robotics that will combine to create the world’s first fully automated and deployable material recovery facility.

Fintech start-up Hi55 Ventures has secured the backing of a global investment firm with over $50 billion of assets under management for a unique pilot project that gives workers of investment grade companies real-time access to their pay.

Crowd Data Systems (CDS) has secured funding to further develop the next generation of treasury management systems. Founded by industry veterans, the CDS team possesses a strong balance of technology, sales, and operational experience, having worked together for 20 years to date. The CDS team founded and successfully exited their first startup ‘City Financials’ back in 2010 via trade-sale.

Poncho, a digital startup backed by Kamet Ventures, has launched to address the growing childcare crisis and the resulting unprecedented pressure facing working parents. This comes as one in six childcare providers is expected to close by Christmas and 87 per cent of parents report having needed to homeschool at least one child since May.  

Xiatech, a UK Headquartered system integration and data analytics specialist, has agreed a growth capital investment with Rockpool Investments. The strategic partnership, advised by the BDO Growth Advisory (M&A) team, will see Rockpool invest in Xiatech’s Single Data View© platform, a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that provides companies with a real-time view of customer, inventory, product, orders and sales data, as well as an enterprise-scale integration hub, analytics and powerful machine learning capabilities, all hosted in the cloud.

Solihull-based executive recruitment firm, Quantum Group Solutions Limited, has secured its first round of investment, totalling £730,000 from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) through venture capital firm, Midven.

Orbex, the innovative European space launch company, has secured $24 million in a funding round led by BGF, the UK's most active investment company, and Octopus Ventures, one of the largest VCs in EuropeBGF and Octopus Ventures have joined existing investors High-Tech Gründerfonds, Heartcore Capital and Elecnor S.A. - parent company of the multi-national space firm Deimos Space - in a new funding round for the orbital launch services company. The new investments secure the roadmap to the first launch from the Space Hub Sutherland spaceport in Scotland.

BGF, has appointed Jim Strang, MD & EMEA Chairman of Hamilton Lane, and Kris Isherwood, CFO of Eight Roads, will be appointed as independent non-executive directors to its Board. The appointments bring a wealth of experience in the global investment management and alternatives industry at a time when there is increasing focus on the growing equity needs of the UK economy, in particular for high-growth private companies and emerging industries.