Blog by Briony Phillips, Investment Activator
January saw 14 companies successfully close investment rounds (as tracked by our friends at Beauhurst), a further 17 companies share their open investment rounds via our techSPARK platform and almost 200 people join us for the Annual Investment Update event in Bristol.
The 31st of January also marked the publication of the techSPARK 2022 Annual Report: South West Equity Investment. This is only the second time we’ve published such a document and it includes all the headline data on investment activity in the South West, insights into our core sectors, headline stories, and a list of local active investors.
But let’s focus on the headline investment news for the month – 14 companies have shared the great news that they have closed investment into their companies already this year amounting to nearly £4m in total (based on those that have disclosed amounts). Of them, just six have shared their news publicly (so far) and only half of them have included news of how much they have raised. Nonetheless, here’s the low down on the six investment stories that are grabbing the headlines:
Focal Point Positioning
FocalPoint Positioning is delighted to explore the application of its Supercorrelation technology into the automotive sector with General Motors, a leader in advanced driver assistance systems. This is a major milestone in our journey on the back of strategic investment from GM Ventures.
The collaboration with GM will focus on possible applications of Supercorrelation technology in future vehicles, including potential enhancements and expansion of its Super Cruise advanced hands-free driving assistance technology and its upcoming Ultra Cruise advanced driver assistance system in the coming years.
Perceptual Robotics
Bristol-based robotics company, Perceptual Robotics, has announced the closing of the newest funding round led by investment from Brookstreet Equity Partners LLP . An investment group focused on supporting companies, which experience transformational growth, London-based Brookstreet will support Perceptual Robotics in the first quarter of 2023 to expand its products and explore new markets, including America.
By utilising drones and AI, Perceptual Robotics offers a vital solution designed to undertake autonomous in-depth turbine inspections four times faster than traditional solutions, collecting high-quality data, and quickly analysing it with state-of-the-art AI data processing. Perceptual Robotics’ Dhalion solution increases safety during inspections, as well as increasing cost-effectiveness and dramatically reducing turbine downtime for wind farm operators.
Actuation Lab
The SETsquared Bristol member has secured backing from hard-tech and climate-tech investors to develop hardware that will prevent catastrophic gas leakage and allow the safe and sustainable use of hydrogen as an energy source.
Actuation Lab was founded by three postdoctoral researchers from the University of Bristol in 2019. It joined SETsquared Bristol in December 2018 after receiving 12 months of funding for the incubation programme as runners-up in the University’s flagship New Enterprise Competition.
My Supper Hero
The vice chairman of Manchester United has backed a meal delivery startup founded by singer Myleene Klass and serial restaurant entrepreneur Jamie Barber. Ed Woodward, the executive who re-signed Cristiano Ronaldo this season, has contributed to a seed funding round for My Supper Hero.
Ensili
EnsiliTech, the award-winning biopharmaceuticals company has raised £1.2 million in pre-seed funding to aid the development of a pioneering refrigeration-free approach to transporting vaccines and other materials. The company’s patented platform technology – ensilication – can be applied to both existing and new biopharmaceuticals to make them safe and stable at room temperatures.
GettingMarried
“It’s taken 14 years but the time has come… We are finally GettingMarried!”
GettingMarried is the UK’s leading wedding website and planning platform, managing tens of thousands of weddings every year. Storm is delighted to become their tech partner in 2020 and their relationship has gone from strength to strength since.
After 3 successful years of working together, they are thrilled to announce that following on from a legally binding exchange of vows, Storm has completed an investment into GettingMarried, further strengthening their relationship.
This article is written as part of the Investment Activator Programme (IAP) in the West of England. This programme is run by TechSPARK and is kindly sponsored by TLT LLP, delaware, West of England Combined Authority, UWE, Sanderson, Engine Shed and Rocketmakers.
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