Eleven of the most exciting early-stage tech and digital startups in the South West and Wales pitched last week to an audience of high-calibre investors at the Silicon Gorge Investor Showcase final.
Part of the Investment Activator Programme, Silicon Gorge is one of the West’s major investment events, with selected startups getting through semi-finals to be in the final to pitch for investment of between £150k and £2 million.
Alongside the diversity of sectors represented at the final (AI, biotech, data, fintech, healthtech, robotics, security), it was notable this year to see the diverse talent pipeline in the region of where the companies came from, from universities and incubators to the private sector.
Engine Shed’s incubation partner, SETsquared Bristol, saw two of its members in the final; Kaedim, a University of Bristol startup, and Data3.
Kaedim enables 3D creators to automate repetitive tasks quickly using AI. The business has already reached their target of £150K (S)EIS investment, but there are more opportunities for investors who can add value to the business.
Data3 bring data into one place to give businesses a single source of truth to benchmark their businesses. The company beta launched in September 2020 and is now looking for £400K seed investment.
Four of the finalists, FluoretiQ, Forefront RF, Phase Biolabs and Siloton, originated or are currently starting their businesses at the Quantum Technology Enterprise Centre (QTEC), which is the University of Bristol’s early-stage incubator for quantum and deep tech scientists.
Other pipelines included Bristol Robotics Lab, the founding place for Bot-Hive, and the NatWest Accelerator Programme who supported itsettled in the build up to its launch.
Helen Tanner, Founder and CEO of Data3 said of Silicon Gorge: “Silicon Gorge has been a fun and super useful experience for me and our business – the opportunity to pitch alongside other businesses to the local investor community has opened up many new opportunities for us. Thank you, Team SG.”
Marty Reid, Head of Engine Shed said: “As part of the Investment Activator Programme, of which we are a partner, Silicon Gorge provides an important platform to showcase our brilliant ecosystem of tech startups to investors. It’s been affirming in this year’s event to see the varied pipeline of tech innovation and talent emerging from the University sector as well as the wider Bristol ecosystem.”
Four of the companies that pitched at Silicon Gorge’s spring edition have already gone on to raise investment since the event, most recently Condense Reality who raised £800k for their VR technology.
Silicon Gorge is a part of the Investment Activator Programme (IAP). Engine Shed is a partner of the IAP, which is a pioneering collaboration between private and public sector organisations to help catalyse investment into fast-growing startups in Bristol, Bath and the West of England.