April 2024
Ochre Bio signed a $1bn deal with Boehringer to develop treatments for chronic liver disease. They are developing novel RNA medicines for under-treated chronic liver diseases. Ochre Bio’s proprietary discovery platform combines machine learning and big human datasets with RNA chemistry and testing in live human donor livers. The partnership with Boehringer will enable Ochre Bio to develop medicines that solve or offer solutions for patients suffering from later stages of liver disease.
Pactio secured $14M led by EQT Ventures to digitize private investment lifecycles. Their tool reduces the risk in workflows and establishes the digital foundations essential for executing transactions efficiently. Over the past year, Pactio has facilitated deals totaling an enterprise value of $10.7 billion across major jurisdictions and asset classes. Find out more here.
Neoplants launched their bioengineered product, Neo Px, in the US. Neo Px is up to 30x more efficient at air purification than regular houseplants. Leveraging 5 years of R&D and a proprietary bioengineered microbiome, Neo Px efficiently captures and recycles the most harmful pollutants from indoor air. Neoplants are now shipping Neo Px across the US. You can take a look at the live product here.
Green Li-ion launched the first commercial battery recycling plant in the US. Green Li-ion are revolutionizing the energy storage industry with world-first technology that fully remanufactures spent lithium-ion batteries and waste. Their first plant in the US can process around 2 tonnes of battery waste and produce sustainable, battery-grade pCAM in just 12 hours, with a >95% recovery rate.
Peptobiotics raised a $6.2M Series A led by Hatch Blue’s Blue Revolution Fund. Their recombinant antimicrobial peptide technology replaces the need for antibiotics in aquaculture, and reduces the risk of side effects and antimicrobial resistance compared to traditional antibiotics.
Staple closed a $4M pre-Series A funding round led by Wavemaker Partners. They have built an AI platform that automates data entry, capture and document processing for companies with complex data needs, including accounting firms, and financial and healthcare institutions. Staple’s technology is used by customers across over 56 countries and can handle documents in over 200 languages.
May 2024
PolyAI closed a $50M Series C funding round backed by Hedosophia, NVentures and Zendesk. PolyAI’s AI-powered customer-led voice assistants for enterprises can understand customers and solve their problems, regardless of what they say, or how they say it.
FabricNano has partnered with Veolia in a trial to accelerate the natural process of rock weathering, where small fragments of basalt rock directly remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. FabricNano’s patented technology will be applied to basalt rock dust to speed up the Enhanced Rock Weathering process.
Kheiron’s AI-powered mammography tool, Mia, has detected 12% more breast cancers compared to standard practice in a UK NHS Grampian trial. In collaboration with the University of Aberdeen and Microsoft Azure, Mia also reduced the diagnosis waiting time from 14 days to just 3 days in a study of over 10,000 patients.
Open Cosmos signed a €60M contract to deploy an Earth observation Constellation of seven satellites for the Greek Government. The satellites will capture daily high-resolution and very-high-resolution imagery used to combat sea pollution and increase agricultural efficiency.
Allozymes secured $15M led by Seventure Partners and Xora Innovation to expand into Europe and establish strategic partnerships within the food and chemical industries. Allozymes are replacing traditional manufacturing methods with cleaner, greener, scalable methods, by unlocking the power of custom designed enzymes. Their platform can build and test up to 20 million enzyme variants per day, increasing the likelihood of successfully developing the most effective enzymes by 200x.
Tuza raised a £4M Seed led by Connect Ventures to connect SMEs to the right payment provider. Tuza allows merchants to compare payment providers. Their technology aggregates the different options SMEs have and suggests the best partner, at the right rate. Since launching last year, Tuza has helped thousands of businesses with over £1.5bn of card turnover compare payment providers, and saved them an average of 20% after switching providers.
Nivoda raised a $30M Series B led by Avenir Growth Capital to accelerate the growth of their B2B jewelry marketplace. Jewelry businesses can purchase diamonds and gemstones from various suppliers on Nivoda’s marketplace, and access quality checks, shipping, and support.
Thymia has been included in the World’s Best Digital Health Companies 2024 by Newsweek. Thymia’s AI-powered mental health assessments allow providers, payors and employers to effectively understand and treat mental health issues.
Compass Labs have been named one of the 17 blockchain startups to watch by Sifted. Compass Labs are building new tools to make DeFi accessible, secure and reliable. Their product, Dojo, is a Python interface for DeFi, that enables users to build and simulate strategies and contracts entirely on-premises before real-world deployment.
Marble announced that they are developing a metal 3D printed version of their MRB5 aircraft, making their drones more robust and better at dissipating heat. They will deploy MRB5 to enhance biodiversity observation capabilities in UK waters, in partnership with the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
June 2024
Ochre Bio has partnered with GSK to investigate the drivers of liver disease. Ochre Bio is collaborating with GSK on a multi-year data license agreement to deepen the understanding of liver disease and investigate the causes. Together, they will create a foundational liver biology dataset to improve the translation of novel therapies for liver disease.
Automata has launched the UK’s first robotic genomic testing facility for cancer patients. Automata’s flagship product, LINQ, digitally and robotically connects every component of the lab, creating fully automated end-to-end workflows. The partnership with The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust will double its genomics testing capacity, providing risk assessments, personalized treatments, and quicker cancer diagnoses.
Dishpatch has been acquired by Waitrose. Dishpatch collaborates with top chefs in the UK to provide online consumers a variety of meals delivered weekly to their homes. They bring high-quality restaurant food into more people’s lives with >40 dishes designed by chefs such as Sabrina Ghayour, Michel Roux Jr, Angela Hartnett, and Rick Stein.
retab has raised a $2.5M pre-seed led by VentureFriends to boost efficiency in back-office logistics. retab is automating 70% of the work freight brokers do. Their AI agents behave like operators and allow customer orders to be processed up to 6x faster, enabling logistics teams to focus on human relationships. retab’s tool has a long waitlist of companies including one of the largest logistics providers in the world.
Feather has secured $6.5M in funding led by Keen Venture Partners to expand their insurance platform internationally. Their AI insurance companion helps customers understand and purchase insurance. Through unbiased recommendations, transparent policies, and simple digital claims processes, Feather gives people honest, unbiased advice, with the information they need to make the right decision. Their platform currently serves expats in Germany, France and Spain, and they’ll expand their reach to three more countries by the end of 2024.
Polari Labs has raised a $500k pre-seed from investors including Ventures Together, Ada Ventures, Chasing Rainbows, and Little Green Bamboo Capital. Polari Labs has built a patent-pending miniature ball-like device to enable spontaneous and hassle-free anal sex, while limiting the spread of STIs. This funding will allow Polari Labs to advance its regulatory pathway, grow the team, and manufacture the product.