The University of Liverpool has formed a new spin out company - Robotiz3d Ltd – to take forward new technology that has the potential to radically transform road maintenance.  Robotiz3d Ltd is a joint venture spin out company established in partnership with A2e Ltd and will receive investment from the University’s Enterprise Investment Fund, alongside private equity investment from a2e Ltd.

A new report released by BGF and academic Sir Anthony Seldon calls for urgent action to recapitalise 21,000 businesses – the UK’s growth economy companies. According to the report, backed up by data from PwC, there is a persistent shortfall in growth funding, which has a profound impact on the long-term prospects of the UK economy. This ‘growth economy gap’ is made worse by the UK’s regional disparities and there is a risk the Covid-19 crisis will turn this gap into a chasm.

Irish data driven VR simulation company VRAI is expanding its UK operations  following funding of €1.2 million from private investors, as well as  continued backing from Enterprise Ireland.  VRAI will open a new office in Gateshead’s PROTO centre, the UK’s immersive technology cluster.

Graphite Capital, a leading UK mid-market private equity specialist, has backed the management buy-out of Ten10, a leading independent UK quality engineering and software testing services provider. 

CRUX, the British-Israeli startup that has developed the world’s first Knowledge Quantification platform, has announced a £1 million seed investment round led by WENVEST Capital, the B2B SaaS venture capital firm, and includes A-Round Capital and Founders Factory.

With an overwhelming volume of information on both publisher and corporate platforms, CRUX’s groundbreaking deep tech supports digital media companies, financial services firms and management consultancies in helping users become more informed and more engaged. CRUX creates unique knowledge journeys around any topic, by measuring users’ knowledge build-up in real time, and directing users to the most valuable content for them.

UK-based technology company Hinterview, the award-winning video platform for the recruiting & talent sector, has raised £1.47m in venture finance as demand for their technology soars in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.  

The investment round was led by UK-listed TMT Investments PLC, and brings the total raised to date to over £3m.  The investment will be used to scale the business both in the UK and internationally, helping the business to meet rapidly growing demand for their specialist video technology as the world adjusts to the lasting impact of Covid-19.

The North East Development Capital Fund (NEDCF), supported by the European Regional Development Fund and managed by Maven Capital Partners, has invested £750,000 in the product sampling platform, SoPost. The business, which helps brand partners run highly effective product sampling campaigns online, will utilise the funding to accelerate its product roadmap, extend its publisher, retail and agency partnerships, as well as fund its expansion into new markets.

A surge in deal activity over the next few months is being predicted by private equity house WestBridge, as business owners seek to realise and de-risk their assets ahead of widely anticipated changes to the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) regime in the next budget.

Flexa, a job and employer brand platform, has successfully raised £250,000 from a consortium of international and domestic investors, including renowned angel investors Simon Franks and Douglas Choi. The round is being led by venture capital firm, QVentures. The funds will be used to support the scaling-up of Flexa’s flexible working platform.

MMC Ventures, the research-led venture capital fund, has become a certified B Corporation through B Lab UK, the not-for-profit behind the B Corp movement. 

CPI, an independent technology innovation centre and founding member of the UK Government’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult, has launched CPI Enterprises. As CPI’s new investor engagement and ventures arm, Enterprises is designed to fuel the development of fast-growing, high-potential companies in the deep-tech space. Enterprises will connect investors and entrepreneurs across the UK to stimulate impactful and capital-efficient investment into innovative technology companies.

Pimloc, the visual privacy and security company, has closed £1.4M in new financing in a seed funding round led by Amadeus Capital Partners with participation from Speedinvest and existing shareholders.

Founded in 2016, Pimloc specialises in deep learning systems for security video and diverse image collections. Pimloc’s technology powers products that enable private businesses and public organisations to protect sensitive or personal visual data, to maintain safe online environments and to manage video security footage.