Lightyear causes a buzz with $25m investment
Investment platform Lightyear has raised $25m (£21.2m) in a Series A funding. Lightspeed Venture Partners led the round, with participation from Virgin Group, Mosaic Ventures, Taavet+Sten, Metaplanet and angel investors.
Lightyear combines multi-currency accounts with unlimited access to global markets so investors can invest freely without transaction, custody and hidden foreign exchange fees.
Graphene firm goes from strength to strength with £8m raise
A Stirling-based start-up that makes graphene cheaper and at a greater scale, has raised £8m. Scottish-based VCs Par Equity and Archangels led the round.
Integrated Graphine makes the dense material, known to be ten times stronger than steel, in a 3D foam to then be used as a component in medical tests for diseases like diabetes.
£5.5m raised to create digital versions of real-world spaces
Spinview, a start-up which produces digital visualisations of a building or space for the manufacturing, property and infrastructure sectors, has raised £5.5m in Series A funding. Alchemy, Future Fund and a plethora of high net worth and angel investors were among the backers.
Spinview uses digital twin technology which enables businesses to create rich digital models of anything physical, from simple assets or products to complex environments like roads and factories. This data is used to analyse efficiency, condition and status remotely, and supports more informed planning for buildings and infrastructure.
Integration platform incorporates further £1.5m investment
Retail integration platform Patchworks has received £1.5m from Gresham House Ventures. This latest round follows an initial investment of £3.3m in August last year.
Patchworks connects key ecommerce systems like Shopify with CRM, finance and logistics systems, allowing retailers to simplify the integration of their technology stack.
Browser plugin that finds greener shopping alternatives bags £500,000
The Beagle Button, a free browser extension which automatically recommends eco alternatives when shopping online, has raised £500,000 from Sustainable Ventures, Marchmont Ventures, Seedrs and angel investors.
The free plugin works across the top 100 retail sites in the UK, including Amazon and ASOS, and will redirect shoppers to buy from one of their 250 verified ethical brands and retailers which rank highly on its values of reducing waste, minimising emissions, supporting workers, protecting animals and avoiding harmful chemicals.
Clinical trials platform secures £195,000
A platform that allows for quick and easy access to clinical trials free of charge has raised £195,000.
Trialwell allows the public to discover and enrol in a variety of clinical trials. Using AI technology, the platform matches users’ health profiles to upcoming clinical trials and resources best suited to their personal health profile and wellbeing goals. Liverpool-based VC Nova Growth Capital led the round.
Image credit: Marco Verch; see license.
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