GRYD Energy raises £1M to scale its zero-cost solar tech to homes nationwide
GRYD Energy, the UK-based solar tech startup pioneering the nation’s first solar subscription service, has raised £1M in a pre-seed funding round led by Black Seed VC and SFC Capital. Additional backing came from Oasthouse Ventures and Antler, with Simon Turner of Oasthouse joining GRYD’s board. This funding will support GRYD’s expansion, enabling it to deploy zero-cost solar and battery systems through partnerships with housing developers, registered providers, and local authorities nationwide. GRYD’s innovative subscription model eliminates the significant upfront costs of solar hardware, allowing homeowners to benefit from reduced energy bills from day one through fixed monthly payments averaging £65.
The business has already made strides with a three-home pilot in Cornwall and secured an energy export deal with renewable supplier Good Energy. GRYD plans to scale its operations to 30,000 new-build homes within three years, focusing on creating the UK’s largest decentralised smart solar network. With its intelligent solar system exceeding new-build EPC standards, GRYD also supports developers in meeting regulatory building requirements, such as Part L and the upcoming Future Homes Standard. The subscription-based approach ensures developers incur no hardware costs, while homeowners gain access to affordable, clean energy without the burden of maintenance.
CEO Mohamed Gaafar highlighted GRYD’s mission to accelerate the UK’s clean energy transition, unlocking solar potential for millions of households. The funding will also support key hires, strengthen energy import and export partnerships, and enhance grid flexibility services. Investors, including Black Seed VC and SFC Capital, expressed confidence in GRYD’s ability to lead the residential solar-as-a-service market, praising its innovative model, technical expertise, and commitment to addressing the UK’s energy challenges at scale.
Gresham House Ventures commits £3.57M investment in audit and data platform Mobility Mojo
Gresham House Ventures, a growth equity investor focused on innovative businesses, has committed £3.57M to Dublin-based accessibility audit and data platform Mobility Mojo. Founded in 2018 by Stephen Cluskey, Noelle Daly, and Patrick Hickey, Mobility Mojo’s SaaS platform enables organisations to audit and improve the accessibility of their environments in line with global standards. The platform offers a cost-effective, standardised approach for capturing, tracking, and benchmarking accessibility across diverse spaces, including offices, retail stores, and manufacturing sites, reducing reliance on traditional paper-based audits.
Mobility Mojo has seen significant revenue growth and now serves over 100 global clients, including Accenture, Eli Lilly, and UBS. The investment, held across the Mobeus and Baronsmead VCTs, will support the company’s plans to expand its sales and marketing teams, enhance its SaaS platform with AI capabilities, and recruit key talent to accelerate growth. As part of the investment, Caroline Tulloch will join the board to provide strategic guidance.
This funding aligns with Gresham House Ventures’ focus on supporting growth-stage businesses tackling social challenges. Joe Krancki, Investment Director at Gresham House Ventures, highlighted Mobility Mojo’s potential to drive accessibility awareness and growth, while CEO Stephen Cluskey emphasised the opportunity to expand their solutions and make impactful improvements for those with accessibility needs.
Fuel Ventures Leads £4M Investment in Prosper to Transform Wealth Management
Fuel Ventures has led a £4M investment round in Prosper, a wealth management platform that leverages AI and private market access to enhance investment opportunities for high-net-worth individuals. As the lead investor, Fuel Ventures contributed £2M, with additional backing from existing investors. Prosper, which already manages over £200M in assets, plans to use the funding to expand its customer base, introduce private market investment offerings, and further develop its AI-driven wealth management solutions.
This investment follows Prosper’s successful angel round, which included notable investors such as the founders of Monzo, Capital One, and Tandem, alongside institutional backers like Andreessen Horowitz (A16Z), Connect Ventures, and MMC Ventures. With a leadership team comprising fintech veterans from Nutmeg and Tandem Bank, Prosper is well-positioned to redefine wealth management by reducing fees, increasing transparency, and replacing outdated financial processes with cutting-edge technology. CEO Nick Perrett emphasised the need for disruption in the sector, stating, “Wealth management needs to be shaken up and brought into the 21st century.”
Mark Pearson, Founder of Fuel Ventures, praised Prosper’s innovative approach, highlighting its ability to deliver tailored financial services at scale through AI. Ricky Knox, Chairman and Co-Founder of Prosper, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, affirming the company’s commitment to putting customers first. With this latest investment, Prosper is set to accelerate its mission of making wealth management more efficient, accessible, and customer-centric, positioning itself as a major player in the evolving fintech landscape.
Atelerix Secures £750K investment to revolutionise biosample transport
Atelerix, a Newcastle University spinout transforming biosample storage and transport, has raised £750K in investment from ACF Investors and biotech-focused o2h Ventures, bringing its total funding for the year to £1.25M. The funding will be used to enhance branding, drive sales, and accelerate the adoption of Atelerix’s hydrogel-based preservation technology as the preferred method for biosample shipping. This innovative approach offers a more reliable and cost-effective alternative to cryopreservation, which can compromise sample viability and requires specialised equipment.
Atelerix’s patented hypothermic preservation technology encapsulates cells and tissues in a hydrogel, allowing them to be stored and transported at ambient temperatures (4-25°C) for up to 14 days while maintaining over 90% viability. This method eliminates the need for costly cryogenic shipping, reduces waste in the supply chain, and cuts shipping costs by up to 80%. Additionally, it offers a significant environmental benefit, reducing CO₂ emissions by 99.7% per shipment compared to energy-intensive freezers and dry ice. Atelerix’s technology has already demonstrated its effectiveness through partnerships with leading life science companies and is now poised for full-scale commercialisation.
Alastair Carrington, CEO of Atelerix, highlighted the transformative impact of the technology, stating, “We are eliminating the need for deep freezing and setting a new standard in biological transport.” Investors also expressed confidence in the company’s potential, with ACF Investors’ Sam Fennell calling Atelerix’s platform "disruptive" and o2h Ventures’ Sunil Shah emphasising the technology’s real-world effectiveness. With this funding, Atelerix is well-positioned to scale its operations and drive a more sustainable, cost-efficient future for bioscience logistics.
Zelt raises £4.81M to fix people operations once and for all
Zelt, an all-in-one people operations software platform, has raised £4.81M in a funding round led by Nauta, with participation from Venrex and existing investor Episode 1. The London-based company provides mid-market businesses with a centralised system that simplifies and automates HR, Finance, and IT functions. The funding will fuel product expansion, geographic growth, and the development of new features to support Zelt's growing customer base, which includes over 150 organisations such as Shakespeare’s Globe, Club L, and Mumsnet.
Founded in 2020 by Chris Priebe and Polina Vorms, Zelt addresses the inefficiencies caused by fragmented point solutions for payroll, onboarding, benefits, and other workforce operations. Its scalable platform integrates diverse modules like expenses, device security, goal tracking, and holiday bookings into one seamless tool. By automating workflows and enabling employee self-service, Zelt reduces administrative burdens while cutting related software costs by up to 50%. The company sees a $50 billion global opportunity as organisations transition from legacy systems to next-generation, all-in-one platforms.
"2024 was a milestone year for Zelt, as we onboarded our first 1,000+ headcount organisation and closed this funding round," said CEO Chris Priebe. Carles Ferrer, General Partner at Nauta, added, "Zelt offers a modern solution to the chaotic landscape of enterprise tools, delivering efficiency and cost savings to mid-market companies. We’re thrilled to partner with them on this journey."
MOPO secures £5.61M from BII to expand sustainable energy solutions in the DRC
MOPO, a UK-based sustainable energy technology company, has secured funding from British International Investment (BII) to accelerate the expansion of its pay-per-use battery rental model in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The company offers two battery solutions: the MOPO50, designed for basic lighting, phone charging, and DC appliances, and the larger MOPOMax, which powers 230V appliances or serves as a battery swap solution for e-motorbike taxis. Customers rent and return these batteries at solar-powered hubs operated by local agents, providing a cleaner and cost-effective alternative to petrol generators without requiring upfront investments.
This funding will enable MOPO to triple its capacity in the DRC within the next year, expanding its reach to over a million people. With less than 17% of the population in the DRC having access to electricity, MOPO's innovative solution addresses a critical need. The company, which launched operations in the DRC in 2024, now operates in six cities and has surpassed 23 million rentals across Sub-Saharan Africa. CEO Chris Longbottom highlighted the partnership’s significance, stating, “Together with BII, we aim to create high-impact, sustainable solutions that empower households and small businesses while fostering community growth.”
BII’s Managing Director for Africa, Chris Chijiutomi, emphasised the transformative potential of MOPO’s model, which delivers reliable energy even in remote locations. UK Minister for Africa, Lord Collins of Highbury, praised the partnership, noting its role in driving green development and economic prosperity. As part of the UK’s efforts to combat climate change and boost sustainable technologies in Africa, this collaboration highlights the growing importance of clean energy solutions in addressing the continent’s energy deficits and supporting economic growth.
Digital therapeutic platform for severe mental illness secures £1.8M funding to provide preventative care
CareLoop, a University of Manchester spinout focused on severe mental illness, has secured £1.8M in funding from investors including the GMC Life Sciences Fund By Praetura, NPIF II – Praetura Equity Finance, Verge, and SFC Capital. Launched in 2021, the platform integrates with existing treatment pathways, providing digital support for patients and remote symptom tracking for clinicians, with predictive algorithms to prevent relapses. CareLoop’s approach is backed by over a decade of research and five clinical trials, earning recognition from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and demonstrating significant cost savings for the NHS.
The funding will help CareLoop expand its platform beyond psychosis to include conditions such as bipolar disorder, while also supporting its deployment across the NHS and international healthcare systems. Investors see the company’s technology as a transformative force in digital mental health, offering clinically validated solutions for underserved severe mental illnesses. CEO Zoë Blake emphasised CareLoop’s mission to provide evidence-based digital therapeutics where they are most needed, while investors highlighted the platform’s potential for global impact, particularly in regions with limited access to mental health care.
In other Investment news
VentureESG and ESG_VC merge to drive responsible investing in Global VC ecosystem
VentureESG and ESG_VC, two pioneering initiatives focused on integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices into venture capital, have announced their merger, creating a unified organisation under the VentureESG brand. The merger aims to respond to the growing need for harmonisation of ESG in the venture capital sector, providing a cohesive and expanded set of resources for venture firms, limited partners (LPs), and portfolio companies. Together, the organisations will strengthen their collective impact on ESG integration, offering tailored support to VC-backed companies, investors, and the wider ecosystem.
Founded in 2021, both ESG_VC and VentureESG have scaled rapidly, assisting hundreds of venture firms and LPs, alongside thousands of portfolio companies globally. As ESG scrutiny intensifies, the merger will address increasing regulation and the need for standardisation across ecosystems in both Europe and the US. VentureESG has been a critical advocate for professionalising ESG practices, recently launching a standardised reporting template for VC fund managers in partnership with InvestEurope and several European LPs. Meanwhile, the US is facing a shifting political landscape that further emphasises the need to define ESG’s role in venture capital.
With the merger, VentureESG will provide streamlined support for the entire VC value chain, unifying efforts between VCs, LPs, and founders. Henry Philipson, co-founder of ESG_VC, will join the VentureESG council and lead a newly launched workstream focusing on portfolio support. The expanded organisation will continue to offer events, resources, and training for all stakeholders, aiming to simplify the integration of ESG into venture capital and create a more resilient, profitable, and sustainable industry.
In other international investment news
Atomicwork Secures $25M in Series A Funding to Transform Enterprise IT with Agentic AI
Backed by over 40 global CIOs, CTOs, and industry veterans, Atomicwork is rapidly gaining traction. Investors highlight the company’s ability to redefine enterprise IT through AI-driven automation. The newly secured funds will be used to scale Enterprise AI agents, expand go-to-market efforts, and enhance platform integrations for seamless scalability.
In other international investment news
Naboo raises €20M to take on Americans in the corporate tourism market
Naboo, a specialist in corporate event organisation, has raised €20M to accelerate its international expansion and compete with American firms in the B2B tourism market. Partnering with British fund Notion Capital and backed by investors like ISAI and Ternel, the company has leveraged AI to automate 80–90% of its back office, allowing teams to focus on customer relations. With €60M in business volume and a client base that includes Société Générale, Veolia, Thales, and Google, Naboo positions itself as the only online solution offering an end-to-end service, from venue booking to transport and catering.
Already generating €10M internationally, Naboo is expanding into Benelux, Germany, Italy, and Spain, following its UK entry, with plans to launch in the US within six months. To support this growth, it is doubling its development team to enhance tech solutions for procurement and finance teams, enabling better budget and CO2 tracking. The company aims to grow from 70 to 180 employees by the end of 2025, moving at the pace of its clients and focusing on securing major global accounts.
Quantum Computing: Alice & Bob secures €100M Series B funding
Alice & Bob, a French quantum computing startup, has raised €100M in Series B funding to advance its mission of creating a universal and fault-tolerant quantum computer. Led by Future French Champions (FFC), AVP (Axa Venture Partners), and Bpifrance, the round saw reinvestment from previous backers, including Elaia Partners, Breega, and Supernova Invest, as well as public investors such as the European Innovation Council and the Île-de-France region. This funding will support the construction of a laboratory and production facility, and help expand the company's team, which currently numbers around 100 employees.
The company’s unique approach focuses on Schrödinger cat qubits, which require far fewer qubits than conventional methods, enabling scalable quantum computing. Alice & Bob aims to develop the first error-free logical qubit, marking a key step towards achieving its long-term goal. With the support of this funding, the company intends to have a quantum computer with 10,000 qubits by the end of 2025, positioning itself as a key player in the rapidly evolving quantum space alongside other notable French firms like Pasqal and Quandela.