In Conversation With: Monumo’s Jarek Rzepecki
Monumo, a UK‑based startup that emerged from stealth in 2024, secured roughly US$12.7 million in funding to commercialise its AI‑driven motor design platform. Its proprietary engine, Anser, runs millions of physics‑informed simulations each day, enabling engineers to evaluate far more design variants than traditional finite‑element methods allow. CEO Jarek Rzepecki, drawing on senior roles at Codemasters, Arm and Microsoft, says the technology will become the default intelligence layer for electric‑motor design across EVs, appliances and robotics. The company is now focused on scaling partnerships and real‑world workflow integration.
Quantum Used to Tackle Fraud in Lloyds Experiment
Lloyds Banking Group partnered with IBM to run a fraud‑detection experiment on IBM's 156‑qubit quantum computer. Multiple quantum algorithms scanned transaction data and successfully uncovered a deliberately embedded money‑mule network. The trial demonstrates that quantum computing can move beyond theory...
Berry-Picking Robot Maker Secures £3m for Farm Trials
Fieldwork Robotics, a Cambridge‑based ag‑tech startup, has raised £3 million (approximately $3.8 million) to fund real‑world trials of its autonomous berry‑picking robots. The financing, led by existing backer Elbow Beach Capital, will support the production of new robots for a two‑year deployment...
UK Government Launches £50m Safety Tech Scheme
The UK government is committing £50 million (≈ $63 million) to the Safer Streets Challenges, a series of community‑led pilots delivered by UK Research and Innovation. The initiative sits within a broader £500 million (≈ $635 million) Research and Development Missions Accelerator aimed at halving knife...
US Logistics Giant Launches UK Tech Accelerator
GXO Logistics, the $11 billion New York‑listed contract logistics firm, announced the launch of GXO Accelerator, an open‑innovation programme targeting UK and Irish startups. The 12‑week cohort will pair selected companies with GXO’s operational teams to test and scale technologies in real‑world...
Zevero Founder: Customers Are What Bring Focus
Zevero co‑founder and CCO George Wade says early, deep customer conversations are the catalyst for product focus and revenue strategy. He credits moving from outsourced developers to an in‑house engineering team for faster delivery and stronger product culture. Wade stresses...
The UK Is Falling Behind the G7, but Change Is Possible
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) warns that the United Kingdom is falling behind its G7 peers in business investment and manufacturing intensity. Private sector investment totals just 11.1% of GDP, the second‑lowest among the group, while capital intensity...
Women Backing Women Fund Closes £130m
The government‑appointed Invest in Women taskforce has closed the first round of its Women Backing Women fund at £130 million (approximately $165 million), marking a milestone for gender‑focused capital in the UK. Backed by major institutions such as Barclays, the British Business...
The New Competitive Advantage
Regulatory maturity has become a differentiator for UK fintech firms, turning compliance into a growth catalyst. Companies that embed strong governance, operational resilience, and anti‑financial‑crime controls are scaling faster and attracting capital, with the UK capturing over a third of...
Pension Funds to Back UK VC with £200m Fund Close
Three major UK pension schemes – Aegon UK, Cushon Master Trust and M&G – have committed to the British Growth Partnership Fund I, delivering a first close of £200 million (about $250 million). The fund, coordinated by the British Business Bank, marks...
Debt Intelligence Platform 9fin Scores £130m Round
AI‑driven debt intelligence platform 9fin has become a unicorn after closing a $170 million (≈£128.8 million) Series C round, pushing its valuation to $1.3 billion. The funding, led by HarbourVest and joined by CPP Investment Board and other investors, will fund AI enhancements, dataset...
Databricks to Invest over £600m to Expand UK Presence
Databricks announced a $850 million (£644 million) investment in the United Kingdom over the next three years. The plan includes a new 137,000‑square‑foot headquarters in London’s Fitzrovia, which will quadruple the company’s physical footprint. The London office will support a workforce that...
AI Diagnostic Startup Raises £9m in Macmillan-Backed Round
Cambridge‑based Lucida Medical has secured £8.7 million (about $11 million) in a funding round led by IW Capital, with participation from Macmillan Cancer Support and XTX Ventures. The startup’s AI‑driven service analyzes prostate MRI scans to help clinicians diagnose cancer faster and...
UK Cyber Group Joins PSG’s Innovation Accelerator
London‑based Nothreat, an AI‑driven cybersecurity startup founded in 2023, has been selected for PSG Labs, the accelerator run by French football giant Paris Saint‑Germain at Station F. The programme offers startups business mentorship, product testing in professional sports, and fundraising support. Nothreat...
UK ‘Venture Scientist’ Fund Secures £10m Commitment
Empirical Ventures, a UK investment group focused on scientific founders, has secured a £10 million (≈ $12.7 million) commitment from the British Business Bank, raising the bank’s total backing to £15 million (≈ $19.1 million). The funds will be channeled into deep‑tech and life‑science startups led...
YFM Backs Digital End-of-Life Platform
UK‑based digital end‑of‑life platform Aura Life has secured backing from YFM Equity Partners to accelerate its growth. Founded in 2019 after a co‑founder’s motor neurone disease diagnosis, the company offers a transparent, digitally‑enabled alternative to traditional funeral planning. The new...
University of Glasgow and Lloyds Launch AI Research Programme
The University of Glasgow and Lloyds Banking Group have announced a four‑year research partnership to explore the use of large language model‑based coding and agentic AI tools in software and data engineering. The collaboration will test semi‑autonomous AI agents for...
British Business Bank Joins Dexory’s Series C Round
The British Business Bank has committed approximately $10.8 million to Dexory, joining a $156 million Series C round led by Eurazeo. Dexory, which builds fully autonomous warehouse robots and an AI‑driven digital‑twin platform, previously raised $76 million in a Series B. The new capital will...
Service Charge Allocation Platform TiPJAR Raises £4.5m
London‑based TiPJAR, a digital platform that automates tip and service‑charge allocation for hospitality venues, closed a £4.5 million (≈$5.6 million) funding round led by YFM Equity Partners. The company says its software now processes about £130 million (≈$162 million) in tips annually for hundreds...
AI Notepad Granola Secures Unicorn Status After Series C
London‑based AI notepad startup Granola announced a $125 million Series C round that lifts its valuation to $1.5 billion, achieving unicorn status. The round was led by Index Ventures and follows rapid adoption by firms such as Vanta, Gusto and Mistral AI. Granola’s platform...
Pressure Piles on Social Media as Fintechs Demand Fraud Action
Fintech firms are urging social‑media platforms to shoulder more responsibility for fraud after a new Payments Association report highlighted their role in scams. The study found roughly two‑thirds of authorised push‑payment (APP) fraud originates on social networks, marketplaces and messaging...
Uber Eats and Starship Expand Robotic Deliveries to New UK City
Uber Eats and Starship Technologies are extending their autonomous food‑delivery robots from Leeds to Sheffield, targeting roughly 50,000 residents. The rollout follows a successful pilot that demonstrated operational reliability and customer acceptance. Industry analysts cite Prysm Global’s study, which estimates...
Starling Bank Appoints New Chief Risk Officer
Starling Bank announced the appointment of Keith Algie as its new group chief risk officer, pending regulatory sign‑off. Algie succeeds Cyrille Salle De Chou, who is leaving after a two‑year tenure focused on scaling the bank’s risk framework. Algie joins from ANZ,...
Carbon Management Platform Zevero Raises £5m
Carbon‑management startup Zevero announced a $7 million seed round, bringing its total capital to $14 million. The AI‑driven platform automates emissions data collection, creating reusable datasets for ESG disclosures, product design and sourcing decisions. Funds, led by Spiral Capital with Gazelle Capital...
Ex-Google Exec Launches £43m AI Venture Fund
Former Google senior executive Mahir Sahin has launched Cloudberry Ventures, a €50 million (£43.3 million) venture fund dedicated to European deep‑tech startups. The fund will invest £860,000 to £1.73 million in seed and Series A companies developing advanced industrial, compute, quantum, photonics and blockchain...
UK Tech Funding Roundup: This Week’s Deals From Edra to First Concepts
UK venture capital tracked £53.69 million across six deals from 16‑20 March, a 97% week‑on‑week drop. The largest round was Edra’s £22.4 million Series A for AI‑driven workflow automation, followed by Tracebit’s £15 million Series A in cloud‑focused cybersecurity. Smaller raises included Flexzo AI’s £8.9 million for...
GeoSurge Founder: Don’t Wait for Permission
GeoSurge, a London deep‑tech AI firm founded by Francisco Vigo, monitors how large language models portray businesses across markets. Vigo, a former pilot‑trainee, emphasizes enjoying work to avoid burnout and stresses that founders must move forward without waiting for external...
Agentic Healthcare Platform Flexzo AI Raises £9m
Flexzo AI, an agentic workforce platform for hospitals, closed a £9 million ($12 million) Series A round led by Octopus Ventures with participation from Fuel Ventures. The funding will fuel a rollout across NHS Trusts and support expansion into the United States. Founded in...
AI Has yet to Hurt SME Jobs Despite Massive Adoption
AI adoption among UK small‑and‑medium enterprises surged to 54% this year, up from 35% a year earlier. Despite the rapid uptake, 95% of AI‑using SMEs report no change in workforce size over the past twelve months. Larger professional‑services firms have...
Ex-Klarna Executive Joins Tide’s C-Suite
Bernie Miles, a former Klarna executive and ex‑CTO of PPRO, has been appointed chief data and technology officer at fintech platform Tide. In his new role, Miles will steer Tide’s transition to an AI‑first business‑management platform that bundles credit, accounting,...
UK Deepens Ties with Ukraine Space Sector
The UK Space Agency and Ukraine’s State Space Agency have signed a memorandum of understanding, marking the first agency‑to‑agency space agreement between the two nations. The MoU commits both parties to collaborate on civil and commercial space projects, supporting the...
First Concepts Secures £750k to Boost Its AI-Native Workspace
First Concepts, an AI‑native workspace for early‑stage creative work, announced a £750,000 pre‑seed round led by Arāya Ventures and Antler. The platform unifies a taste engine, contextual interface, and tool‑agnostic infrastructure to reduce the 40% time loss agencies face when...
British Business Bank Promises £50m for SuperSeed’s Physical AI Fund
The British Business Bank has pledged up to £50 million as a cornerstone commitment to SuperSeed Fund III, a seed‑stage vehicle focused on B2B AI and SaaS firms building physical AI for manufacturing, energy, construction and autonomous systems. The investment, made...
HSBC Launches £5bn AI and Productivity Initiative to Support Business Growth
HSBC UK has unveiled a £5 billion AI and productivity financing initiative aimed at mid‑size companies with turnovers between £15 million and £300 million. Research by CEBR for HSBC estimates AI adoption could generate an additional £105 billion in UK revenue by 2030, with...
How I Coped with 40 Rejections – Farzana Rahman, CEO, Hexarad
Former NHS doctor Farzana Rahman pivoted to entrepreneurship, founding Hexarad, an AI‑powered end‑to‑end radiology platform that delivers diagnoses from CT and MRI scans. After enduring 40 rejections, she secured funding and partnership support from HSBC Innovation Banking, enabling rapid scale‑up....
Biotech Building ‘Molecular Glues’ AI Platform Raises £3.6m
London‑based Ternary Therapeutics announced a £3.6 million seed round to fund its AI‑driven platform for designing molecular glues, a class of drugs that can bind previously "undruggable" proteins. The startup, founded in 2024, merges machine learning, physics‑based molecular modelling and rapid...
Maven Invests £15m in Law Enforcement Software Group
Maven Capital Partners has committed £15 million to Chorus Intelligence, a UK‑based provider of investigative software for law‑enforcement and government agencies. The funding, sourced from Maven’s UK Regional Buyout Fund II, will accelerate development of the Chorus Intelligence Suite (CIS), a platform...
UK Tech Funding Roundup: This Week’s Deals From Nscale to Combat Medical
UK tech funding hit a record £1.64 bn between 9‑13 March, driven largely by AI hyperscaler Nscale’s massive £1.5 bn Series C round. The week also saw significant raises for ag‑tech gene‑editing firm Tropic (£79.2 m) and aerospace component maker Isembard (£37 m), among others. Investors...
PayCaptain Founder: Overconfidence Is the Enemy
Simon Bocca, founder of payroll platform PayCaptain, says he abandoned overconfidence in favour of meticulous, forensic implementation after a costly parallel‑run error for Pizza Express. He stresses that the first critical hire must own onboarding and combine technical expertise with...
Health Tech Group Combat Medical Raises £2.6m
Combat Medical announced a £2.6 million Series A raise, led by the T&J Meyer Family Foundation, to fund phase‑three trials of its hyperthermic intravesical chemotherapy (HIVEC) platform. The company already has over 350 systems installed and has delivered more than 100,000 HIVEC...
Cambridge to House World-Leading IonQ Quantum Computer
The University of Cambridge will host the IonQ Quantum Innovation Centre, featuring a 2560‑qubit quantum computer—the most powerful in the UK. The deal, the university's largest corporate research partnership, links Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory with US‑based IonQ and includes three years...
UK Publishing Body Unveils First AI Licensing Initiative
Publishers’ Licensing Services (PLS) has introduced a sector‑led collective licensing scheme that lets AI companies legally access copyrighted works in exchange for licence fees. The first phase invites publishers to opt‑in, creating a structured market for AI training data that...
Aquis and Eagle Labs Launch UK ‘IPO Academy’
Aquis Stock Exchange has teamed with Barclays Eagle Labs to launch a six‑month IPO Academy aimed at preparing UK scale‑ups for public listings. The programme offers investor access, funding advice, pitch support and governance mentoring to bridge the current dip...
In Conversation With: Sunsave’s Alick Dru
Sunsave, a fast‑growing UK energy‑tech startup, raised £113 million to launch a subscription‑based solar service that eliminates the typical £10,000 upfront cost. While only about 6% of UK homes have solar panels, roughly 70% say they would consider installation, highlighting a...
What I Learned Failing to Make Small Talk at the School Gates – Beckie Taylor, Tech Returners
Beckie Taylor, co‑founder of Tech Returners, discussed her HR background and how the conversation around diversity has shifted toward AI’s impact on hiring. She highlighted the challenges women face when re‑entering tech after a career break and argued that traditional...
Tandem Bank Names Finance Veteran as New Chair
Tandem Bank has named Stephen Jones, a veteran of UK banking, as its new chair. Jones currently serves as executive chair of investment banking at Panmure Liberum and previously held senior roles at Santander, Barclays, and UK Finance. He succeeds Paul Pester, who...
Pressure on Tech Firms Grows Amid Government Safety Crackdown
The UK government is tightening its grip on digital platforms to safeguard women and girls online. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall warned Snapchat, Meta, YouTube and TikTok to accelerate safety measures or face regulatory action. Recent policies include a 48‑hour takedown...
Britain Faces a Trillion-Dollar Tech Challenge
TechUK and TheCityUK hosted a summit urging UK tech firms to stay and scale domestically, targeting the nation’s first trillion‑dollar technology company by 2035. The Industrial Strategy calls for unprecedented capital inflows, with up to £190 bn of private funds expected...
Manufacturing Startup Isembard Raises £37m
British manufacturing startup Isembard announced a $50 m (£37.5 m) Series A round, led by Union Square Ventures, less than a year after its $9 m seed raise. The capital will fund new factories, expand its proprietary AI‑driven operating system MasonOS, and accelerate hiring...
UK Tech Funding Roundup: This Week’s Deals From Oxa to Mutable Tactics
UK tech investment this week totalled £99.37 million, a 91% drop from the prior week, across five rounds. Autonomous‑vehicle specialist Oxa led the pack with a £77 million Series D, followed by biomaterials firm Shellworks raising £11 million Series A. Health‑tech Antiverse secured £7 million for...
