Tag Archives start-ups

UK DeepTech – Benevolent.AI Reveal Plan To Stay Ahead Of Med-Tech Rivals By After Acquiring World’s Most Powerful “Supercomputer In A Box”

Posted on 3 min read 2332 views

Leading British artificial intelligence (AI) company Benevolent AI has announced that it is the first company in Europe of any kind to begin using the world’s most advanced deep-learning AI Supercomputer – the DGX-1 from NVIDIA. …

Yes We Khan! London’s Mayor & Top Tech Start-ups On A Mission To Big Apple To Tell New Yorkers “London Is Open”

Posted on 4 min read 1858 views

23 of London’s most promising and fastest growing tech start-ups are set to accompany Rajesh Agrawal, the Deputy Mayor for Business and Chairman of “London’s PR Agency” London & Partners, on a trade mission to Chicago and New York, whilst the mayor himself, Sadiq Khan, will also be joining them. …

British Business Bank’s Investment Arm Provides £18m Funding To North West Asset Backed Lender, In Search Of Yield For Tax Payer

Posted on 3 min read 1424 views

The commercial arm of the British Business Bank, British Business Bank Investments Ltd. has announced that it has made an £18m pound investment into Praetura Asset Finance, a provider of asset-based finance to sole traders, partnerships and limited companies, based in the Northwest of England. The BBB says it will support at least £36m of …

Copenhagen Based “Con-Tech” Platform GenieBelt Shows Its Bottle, Wins €2m Investment From Solar & Former JustEat CEO

Posted on 3 min read 1794 views

Elements of the construction industry may be unashamedly old-school, but a Danish firm, GenieBelt, co-founded by Klaus Nyengaard, one of the founders of food delivery Unicorn Just Eat (which began life in Denmark) is showing that it is far from immune to a dose of tech disruption. GenieBelt announced this week that it has raised  …

Government Funded Start-up Loans Program Racks Up A Quarter Billion Of Lending Since 2012

Posted on 3 min read 1608 views

Budding British-based entrepreneurs have benefited from £250m of loans provided through the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans scheme since it was launched in 2012, according to a note published by the UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy at the end of August. …

European VC Activity Looks Like It Is Going To Get Worse in Q3 – Will It Ever Get Better?

Posted on 4 min read 1655 views

Dealroom.co published its “European VC Q3 Flash Update” just a few days ago, which seemed to show that venture capital investment into Europe’s start-ups is on track, if not to quite match Q2 2016, then to run it pretty close. The total amount raised across Europe in Q2 2016 was €4.1bn, according to Dealroom’s figures; …

The Best Blog Post You Will Read This Year? Entrepreneur Michalis Gkontas Opens Up (And Then Some) About Athens, London, Loss & Home Cooking!

Posted on 5 min read 2511 views

An entrepreneur from Athens whose London-based start-up was the darling of the British media for a few glorious weeks has written an inspiring, warts and all blog post about the highs he experienced riding the crest of a wave of publicity, the lows he went through as his business failed, and the “Pivot under pressure” …

Just ‘Moments’ To Go? Gay Dating App Hanky First To Create Live Photo Uploads For Users Tired Of Misleading Profile Pics

Posted on 3 min read 3246 views

Users of gay dating apps who while away hours chatting to men they believe to be muscle bound hunks, only to discover, upon meeting for the first time, that they are anything but may be about to be presented with the perfect solution to their problems. “Moments”, from Hanky, a sophisticated dating app that describes …

Jamjar Investments Opens The Lid & Helps Find $7m Funding For Snackfood Start-up Propercorn

Posted on 3 min read 2608 views

Jamjar investments, the Strategic Investment fund founded in 2013 by Innocent Drinks founders Richard Reed, Jon Wright and Adam Balon, alongside Piper, a private equity firm that has also backed jeweller Monica Vinander and swimwear brand Orlebar Brown has helped low-calorie popcorn brand Propercorn raise a £7m venture funding round. Propercorn was founded by 2 …

No Agent? Prop-Tech Firm Chaired By Former CEO of Propertyfinder.com Launches UK’s First DIY Lettings Service

Posted on 3 min read 1801 views

First it was short term lets and holiday homes – now it looks as though the entire UK Lettings market could be getting the “digital disruption” treatment. A new UK start-up, No Agent, claims that its fully integrated lettings management platform can help landlords let their properties without using a 3rd party agent, and save …

Spotlight On: DN Capital; VC Firm Who Backed Happn, Shazam To Raise Fourth Venture Capital Round of €200m

Posted on 3 min read 2915 views

One of Europe’s most active VC investors, DN Capital has made more than 100 investments into 60+ early stage start-ups through seed or growth stage rounds, often to enable start-ups to scale internationally. The firm prides itself on its “start-up mentality” and are searching for the next Google, Facebook, or Shazam, they say. DN are …

Navigation App Beeline Raises £500k To Help City Explorers Get Buzzy About Urban Cycling

Posted on 3 min read 1652 views

If you are the kind of intrepid adventurer who thinks maps are for wussies then Beeline, the connected navigation app that helps cyclists find their own way around cities could well be for you. Unlike traditional navigation devices, BeeLine, a small circular IoT style device which can be clipped to your bikes’ handlebars, simply points …

Songkick Bags $15m To Strengthen Position As “World’s Leading Independent Artist Ticketing & Music Discovery Platform”

Posted on 3 min read 1657 views

Songkick closed a $15m venture funding round last week, led by Access Industries, bringing the music start-up’s total investment to date to north of $60m, and more than $29m since a merger with Crowdsurge last year. The start-up connects hundreds of artists, including Metallica, J.Cole, Mumford & Sons and the Red Hot Chili Peppers to …

City FinTech Firm Pay2Global Acquired By Amsterdam Based TerraPay

Posted on 3 min read 2676 views

A Dutch mobile first international payment network, TerraPay, incubated by Mahindra Comviva, the Gurgaon, Haryana based value added service provider for mobile operators, has acquired UK-based Pay2Global limited following regulatory approvals. TerraPay has acquired 100% of Pay2Global for an undisclosed amount; Pay2Global is a digital international money transfer firm regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority …

Innovate Finance & SWIFT Innovation Arm Innotribe Launch Global FinTech Federation To Inspire Innovation & Pool Knowledge

Posted on 3 min read 1782 views

A “FinTech Federation” comprising technology groups from more than 20 cities around the world is being set up by British FinTech trade body Innovate Finance, and Innotribe, the innovation ARM of SWIFT, the financial communications provider. Fabian Vandenreydt, the global head of Innotribe and the SWIFT Institute, described the proposed federation as “a group of …

Notonthehighstreet.com Brings Total Funding To £60m As Curated, Creative Marketplace Secures £21m Round Led By Hubert Burda Media

Posted on 4 min read 1634 views

Notonthehighstreet.com, the “leading curated online marketplace connecting the best small creative businesses with the world” has raised $27.65m in a Series E round led by Hubert Burda Media. The start-up, which was founded in 2006 by entrepreneurs Holly Tucker MBE and Sophie Cornish MBE, and reached £158m in sales in 2016, a CAGR of 135% …

Hot New Start-up Alert? Solidarity App Wants You To Help Refugee Charities By Playing Online Games

Posted on 4 min read 1922 views

2 Spanish entrepreneurs are on a mission to create the “first ever free crowdfunding for positive impact initiative”, which will allow the world’s smartphone users to make a donation to a charity of their choice simply by downloading free games and apps. …

Purple Wi-Fi Secures £3m of Debt Financing To Accelerate Sales and Global Deployment, From “Growth Debt” Provider Boost & Co

Posted on 3 min read 1640 views

An Ashton Under Lyme, Manchester based start-up provider of free-to-use Wi-Fi services to businesses has secured a £3M growth loan to expand their business; the debt financing was provided by Boost & Co. Purple Wi-Fi provides a Wi-Fi platform for physical spaces, which leverages social engagement, marketing tools and location analytics to allow brands to …

Tonight! Founders and Funders Are Holding A Speed Dating & Networking Party At WeWork South Bank!

Posted on 3 min read 1669 views

Sometimes it’s those last minute gigs you get wind of and attend that can make all the difference – to either a founder looking for investment, or an investor looking for the next great idea. Tonight, at WeWork on the South Bank, on the 8th floor, from where the views across London are simply breath-taking, …

FinTech Firm CashFloat Introduces “Dynamic Payday Loan” Allowing Borrowers To Repay Early & Save Money On Interest

Posted on 3 min read 1758 views

Whilst it may be preferable not to have to make the choice, borrowers faced with the prospect of either having to exceed their arranged overdraft limit or taking out a payday loan would be better off doing the latter, according to research from Cashfloat.co.uk. Cashfloat, who describe themselves as being “a moral lender, running the …