Belfast-based livestock monitoring technology company, CattleEye, has completed a $2.5m seed investment. The funding round was a syndicate led by Techstart Ventures and including Paris based VC Seventure Partners and Turntide Technologies, a Silicon Valley venture backed by Amazon.  CattleEye uses Machine Vision Artificial Intelligence which provides automatic inspections and analysis for machinery.

Doccla, the healthtech startup pioneering virtual ward technology to ease pressure on hospitals, has secured £2.4m in an oversubscribed seed round, led by Giant Ventures, the leading purpose-driven venture firm, and early-stage technology VC, Speedinvest. Doccla is reimagining hospital care using innovative remote medical monitoring to deliver safe, effective care from the home. The investment will supercharge the startup’s ambition to make virtual hospitals a core part of modern healthcare.

Ionoptika Ltd and the University of Surrey have been awarded project grants worth a total of £425,000.00 from Innovate UK, 

Crypta Labs has completed its SPRINT (SPace Research and Innovation Network for Technology)-funded project, in collaboration with the University of Southampton. The company has developed a Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG) for space that will facilitate quantum secure encryption of satellite data.

A platform that helps parents and students to find online tutors has raised a further £3 million investment amidst a boom in business following the pandemic.  Tutorful has secured funding from Mercia’s Northern Venture Capital Trust (VCT) funds and NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund. 

PassFort, the SaaS RegTech provider whose platform automates financial crime and compliance processes, today announced the close of its Series A funding, which gives the firm access to $16.2 million. The money will be used to realise PassFort’s global growth plans and its ambition to be the category leader in compliance automation for regulated businesses.

London-based llluma Technology, a contextual advertising company which uses AI to expand online campaigns by reacting to live browsing behaviour, has secured a £1.1m Series A investment from Blackfinch Ventures.

Founded in 2016 by leading data scientists and media experts, Illuma’s GDPR- compliant platform offers an alternative to cookie-based targeting which results in a better return on investment for advertisers.

Fintech infrastructure platform Integrated Finance has raised £2 million in Seed funding. The round was led by Octopus Ventures, one of Europe’s most active early-stage VCs, with participation from 500 Start-Ups, SuperSeed Ventures, and prominent Angels Chris Adelsbach, Srin Madipalli, and John Erdimansinga.

The Integrated Finance platform gives fintech companies and financial institutions of all sizes access to the same financial infrastructure used by the world’s largest companies. The infrastructure APIs that Integrate Finance provides help developers at fintech startups and big banks alike build embedded financial services at greatly reduced speeds, enabling them to drive far more value from their existing technology, and their customer base.

London-based Kick Game, a luxury sneaker and apparel retailer, is on track to grow revenuesLondon-based Kick Game, a luxury sneaker and apparel retailer, is on track to grow revenues to £50m in 2022 following a £3.5m injection of capital from VGC Partners.  to £50m in 2022 following a £3.5m injection of capital from VGC Partners. 

Founded by sneakerhead brothers Rob (pictured, left) and David Franks in 2013, Kick Game is a destination-retailer to shop exclusive, rare and sold-out sneakers and streetwear from brands such as Air Jordan, Nike, Yeezy, Off-White, Trapstar, Fear of God Essentials and Supreme.

For angels and other investors interested in space, Rémy Astié, CEO of Vauban has advice on how to get involved. 

Cardiff University has become the sixth partner of SETsquared, the world’s top-ranked university-business incubator. Cardiff joins the universities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton, and Surrey and will further strengthen the group’s capability for providing enterprise and innovation programmes for researchers, entrepreneurs and high-growth companies in its ecosystem.

Vala Capital, the entrepreneur-led venture capital firm, has launched a new tranche for its EIS portfolio – targeting fast-growth British start-ups with strategies to scale quickly and become the next generation of British unicorns.