As we’re coming near the top of this unusual 12 months of 2020 – preventing the percentages of once-in-a-lifetime disruption of the coronavirus crisis – the worldwide tech business has realised {that a} speedy, sensible response to any exogenous shock as a result of pandemic has been the important thing for many of the modern startups to sail by means of these rocky waves.
Whereas the disaster has hit small companies laborious, nonetheless a whole lot of them have continued to carry out within the UK tech scene. Wanting on the month of November itself, London-based recipe field agency Gousto added ‘unicorn’s’ coveted standing to its menu. To not neglect, Hopin sealed a whopping £94.3M funding deal to turn into a double unicorn, simply 8 months after launch and on the similar time, London VC Seedcamp raised £78M as fifth fund to spice up next-gen tech startups in Europe.
Amid those that grabbed the front-page headlines, there have been numerous different tech companies whose achievements, massive or small, can’t be sidelined as what they achieved throughout this ongoing world disaster is phenomenal. So at this time at UKTN, we check out a few of the largest bulletins made in November 2020 which merely deserve your consideration. Let’s head on!

£800k SBRI grant to assist autistic individuals
Brain in Hand, a healthcare firm based mostly in Exeter received £800K authorities grant to develop its revolutionary autism assist providers. The SBRI (Small Enterprise Analysis Initiative) Healthcare award is funded by NHS England and NHS Enchancment.
Established in 2009 by Andrew Stamp and Tony Brown, Mind in Hand intends to remodel the best way autistic persons are taken care of through its digital assist system. The corporate lets individuals remedy issues and face challenges strategically through their cell phone. The second part of funding will assist in rising the entry to its self-directed assist providers. It has been revealed that the SBRI award will partly be used to check the product with 100 autistic adults.
Dr Louise Morpeth, CEO of Mind in Hand, says: “We’re over the moon to be SBRI grantees and to have the chance to display the worth of our system for autistic individuals. We’re grateful to our companions for becoming a member of us on this thrilling undertaking, and particularly happy to be waving the flag for the south west! The pandemic has proven that it’s time to embrace the potential of know-how to assist those that are so usually excluded or ignored. We stay up for seeing digital well being options take their correct place within the continuum of care.”

UK smart buildings software startup Metrikus completes Series A round, plans to expand to India, Japan, and Korea

E-scooter leases trial on London streets
In an try to advertise security requirements and have a greater understanding of the influence of e-scooters on the roads of London, Transport for London (TfL) and London Councils have launched a contest to pick three operators for a 12-month e-scooter rental trial. This competitors will debut in spring 2021. As per the steering issued by the Division of Transport, native authorities within the UK can trial e-scooter leases.
Notably, the trials let individuals use greener modes of transport that don’t enhance congestion and regrade the air high quality. The e-scooter rental trials will probably be coordinated by TfL, London Councils and the boroughs in London to advertise security and constant requirements. Already, a 3rd of London’s boroughs have expressed that they’re fascinated with becoming a member of the trial and extra are anticipated to hitch later.
Mayor Philip Glanville, Chair of London Councils’ Transport and Atmosphere Committee, stated: “We’re going forward with this year-long trial to discover whether or not rented e-scooters could possibly be a constructive addition to London’s transport community, complementing strolling, biking and public transport and supporting our city-wide response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Operating the trial safely is important and operator efficiency will probably be often reviewed. All firms making use of to hitch the trial might want to display they’ve plans in place to maintain our streets clear and shield riders, pedestrians and different street customers – together with extra susceptible Londoners. We can even be searching for operators that perceive London’s distinctive and various native communities and infrastructure, and may work with London Councils, TfL and particular person boroughs.”

Australian-UK startup Localz bags £2M to support last-mile of retail and services industries

Revolut Android customers will pay through Google Pay in these nations
London-based Revolut, a monetary superapp launched Google Pay for its prospects in 10 new European markets – Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Portugal and Romania. By being the primary monetary providers firm that gives Google Pay inside its cellular app, Revolut takes a step ahead in letting individuals use their cash the best way they need.
With the launch of this service, Revolut customers with Android telephones can arrange Google Pay inside the app’s Playing cards part and add their Visa or MasterCard card to it in order that they’ll spend immediately by simply tapping on it earlier than they get the bodily card. With Google Pay, Revolut’s prospects with Android gadgets could make quick and easy funds on-line, in-app, in-store and extra. It’s a protected and safe service that’s protected by a complicated safety infrastructure.
James Carpenter, Product Proprietor for Card Funds at Revolut stated: “Our 13 million international prospects are fast-paced away from money within the majority of the markets we function in, and this has accelerated for the reason that begin of the 12 months, so launching Google Pay in these 10 new markets is a really constructive step ahead in enabling our prospects to soundly use their cash in the best way that they need to. Our final purpose is to construct the world’s first really international monetary superapp, and giving our prospects instruments resembling Google Pay with the intention to make funds shortly, conveniently and securely is important to attaining this.”
Revolut was based in 2015 by Nikolay Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenkov to allow change of cash with none hidden charges and purchase crypto, gold and handle your cash with spending analytics.

Material Exchange, a Swedish fashion tech startup with expansion plans in UK grabs £4.4M funding

Fintech utilizing AI debuts worldwide growth with Eire
London-based fintech, Plum is a cash administration app with the intention to increase into many European markets by the top of this 12 months. It has debuted its worldwide growth plans by launching its service in Eire. In addition to launching in Eire, Plum notes that it intends to succeed in 5 million prospects by the top of 2021. Additionally, the corporate is in plans to launch in France and Spain within the coming months.
Plum makes use of Synthetic Intelligence to be taught concerning the spending habits of customers. The fintech firm has launched a premium service that provides enhanced cashback and reward options together with collaboration with Button, a New York-based fintech.
Victor Trokoudes, co-founder and CEO of Plum, stated: “The individuals of Eire already understand how necessary it’s to save lots of. However they face the identical issues all of us do throughout Europe — a quickly altering monetary panorama with an elevated want for long-term monetary resilience.”

Madrid-based insurtech raises £4.5M Collection A funding
Madrid-based insurtech startup Bdeo bagged €5M (practically £4.5M) Collection A funding in a spherical led by BlackFin together with current traders Ok Fund and Large Sur Ventures. The recent funding will probably be used to consolidate its place within the current markets – Spain and Latin America. Additionally, this funding is part of its plan to turn into a frontrunner in visible intelligence within the insurtech business by 2022.
Based by Manuel Moreno and Julio Pernía Aznar, Bdeo leverages Synthetic Intelligence to digitise the interplay between policyholders and insurance coverage firms. It affords a complete resolution, which spans from computerized coverage subscription to the digitalisation of claims administration and rather more.
Julio Pernía, CEO and co-founder of Bdeo, defined: “Our know-how reduces the operational prices of insurers by as much as 70% whereas radically bettering the expertise of policyholders, rising their NPS by 20 factors on common. In consequence, in simply three years, now we have begun working with 30 insurance coverage firms in 19 nations on three completely different continents.

‘Fintech for good’ baggage £1.75M funding
Yorkshire-based ‘fintech for good’ firm, incuto has bagged £1.75M funding in a spherical led by NPIF – Mercia Fairness Finance managed by Mercia and is a part of the Northern Powerhouse Funding Fund (NPIF); the federal government’s Future Fund; Ascension Ventures’ Truthful By Design Fund; and the North East Innovation Fund backed by the European Regional Improvement Fund managed by Northstar Ventures.
incuto will use the recent funding to rollout its platform to extra UK credit score unions and abroad growth. Based by Andrew Rabbitt in 2016, incuto is a socially worthwhile fintech firm. It develops monetary know-how aimed toward serving to everybody entry top quality and low-cost monetary providers.
Andrew Rabbitt stated: “We’ve been extraordinarily busy supporting our credit score union companions throughout Covid-19. The lockdown not solely escalated the necessity for credit score unions to supply their members digital entry, but additionally to speak with them extra often and successfully, one thing our know-how additionally permits them to do. Credit score unions have been on the forefront of supporting financially excluded and sometimes susceptible people and households over latest months, so we’re delighted to supply them know-how which not solely higher helps current members in a digital world, but additionally permits them to advertise their message of moral, supportive banking to a wider viewers.”

New London startup raises £28.8M Collection A funding
A brand new London-based startup Harbr raised $38.5M (practically £28.8M) Collection A funding in simply six months of rising from stealth mode. The spherical was led by new traders Daybreak Capital and Tiger World Administration together with current traders together with Mike Chalfen, Crane Enterprise Companions, Boldstart Ventures, Backed and Seedcamp together with Daniel Dines and Brandon Deer (UiPath’s founder and CEO and head of technique).
Established in 2017 by Anthony Cosgrove and Gary Butler, Harbr’s enterprise information change empowers organisations to unlock extra worth from their information and to speed up data-driven enterprise fashions through its safe, custom-branded information sharing and collaboration platform. Harbr delivers the simplicity that customers want and offers them the management they should generate new insights and extract worth from information.
“Regardless of vital investments in data-focused applied sciences and groups over the past decade, most enterprises are nonetheless unable to ship focused outcomes from information in a well timed and scalable method. The safe information sharing and collaboration capabilities of Harbr’s enterprise information change platform fast-track these outcomes,” stated Gary Butler, CEO and co-founder, Harbr.

Mintos launches first-ever crowdfunding marketing campaign
Mintos, a number one European different funding platform for investing in loans has launched its first-ever crowdfunding marketing campaign. This spherical will debut this month by means of Crowdcube, an equity-based crowdfunding platform. This marketing campaign is part of a bigger fundraising spherical that’s deliberate with enterprise capital companies. Whereas it reached its crowdfunding goal of €1M (practically £0.9M) in simply quarter-hour after opening to its neighborhood, the corporate has raised a document quantity of €5.3M (practically £4.7M) within the first 24 hours and it’s nonetheless counting.
Mintos was based by Martins Sulte and Martins Valters in 2014 has bagged €7M (practically £6.2M) from angel traders up to now. Additionally, the corporate is approaching one other milestone by turning into a totally regulated market.
“Demand for different investments has grown, for the reason that rates of interest on deposits have been persistently low and fairness markets have turn into crowded—leaving retail traders with only a few good choices,” stated Martins Sulte, CEO and Co-Founder at Mintos. “Prior to now, when retail traders did have a look at different investments, they usually discovered that these got here with excessive minimal investments and excessive charges that saved them out of the mass market. Present demand is for contemporary options which can be each accessible and never correlated with conventional belongings. Mintos purpose is to supply loans as a brand new different funding sort, becoming retail investor wants.”

Psychological well being app secures £50K
New psychological well being startup, Superpow secured £50K funding that will probably be channeled in direction of the app’s growth. The startup raised 120% of its goal of £50K on Crowdcube from greater than 280 traders. In addition to its growth, the fund will probably be used to enter the market in addition to speed up progress. This app will probably be launched within the UK by the top of 2020 to take away components that stop individuals from accessing psychological well being assist.
Based by Gabriel Birgaoanu and Andrei Stoica, Superpow goals to minimise boundaries to accessing high quality remedy by pairing customers with therapists from an identical cultural background. Along with this, the psychological well being app affords full flexibility with funds. Customers will pay for a set variety of classes as many therapists do. So, customers must liberty to have as many classes as they want.
Andrei, who’s initially from Romania, defined: “After I was experiencing psychological well being points previously I attempted a lot of completely different therapists, but it surely by no means felt proper. But as soon as I discovered a like-minded Romanian therapist every part modified. I now not needed to give quick cultural classes about Romania or seek for the English phrase which bests describes a sense. The expertise was life altering for me. We’re lifting up the boundaries we personally needed to face previously so others don’t have to come back throughout the identical obstacles when searching for psychological well being assist, it doesn’t matter what their background is.”

Digital bookkeeping and money stream administration for SMEs
KashFlow by IRIS Software program Group has introduced that it’s working with Yapily, a number one enterprise connectivity platform. On account of this partnership, KashFlow prospects will acquire real-time perception into their money stream and expertise a clean end-to-end bookkeeping service. The partnership lets KashFlow customers join and extract account info from the portal. The mixing of Yapily’s open banking API lets KashFlow enhance its SME prospects’ expertise by rushing up the crucial processes together with invoicing, payroll and reconciliation.
JF Sullivan, Chief Product Officer for IRIS Software program Group stated, “By partnering with Yapily, our prospects now have a much more environment friendly and safe option to handle their money stream – which is of utmost significance on this present panorama of uncertainty. Yapily’s core infrastructure means KashFlow prospects can now management their controllables with ease. Getting a single supply of reality about their monetary well being so that they know finest easy methods to put together for what’s forward. They will now transfer ahead with confidence – and thrive – within the subsequent regular.”
Stefano Vaccino, Chief Government Officer for Yapily stated, “By means of partnering with KashFlow, we’re persevering with our mission to increase the attain of open banking and produce its advantages to all small companies. We consider open banking permits fairer and higher monetary providers for everybody. We stay up for creating our partnership with KashFlow and IRIS Software program Group to gas better monetary accessibility for his or her prospects.”

Photonics & quantum tech agency secures £32.5M funding
M Squared, a UK-based photonics and quantum know-how companyy has bagged €36.4M
(practically £32.5M) funding led by Santander UK, a British financial institution and Scottish Nationwide Funding Financial institution. The funding will probably be used to assist its progress and know-how developments. Spliting this funding, Santander UK will present £20M debt facility and Scottish Nationwide Funding Financial institution will pump in £12.5M progress capital.
Talking on the event, Dr Graeme Malcolm, founder & CEO of M Squared stated: “Our industrial and technological potential is big, and with this transaction, now we have the best monetary and structural platform to progress and realise substantial progress and launch main new developments. We’re delighted to now be working with each Santander UK and the Scottish Nationwide Funding Financial institution, alongside continued assist from BGF, on funding a shared purpose to innovate and scale.”
M Squared was established in 2006 by Dr Graeme Malcolm OBE and Dr Gareth Maker. It designs and manufactures superior photonics instruments which can be utilized in science, business, and schooling. It has enabled breakthroughs in quantum know-how, biophotonics, and chemical sensing and finds use in aerospace, oil and gasoline, protection, healthcare and extra.
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