Blockchain startup Chainalysis targets London with $30m raise from Accel February 12, 2019 Crypto compliance startup Chainalysis has raised $30m (£23.3m) from venture capital giant Accel to open an office in London's Soho. The US firm's series B round was supported by existing investor Benchmark, which upped its stake in the company after funding Chainalysis' $16m series A last year. Chainalysis said it will use the proceeds from the round to open [...]
The UK’s fintech sector hits record level of investment as startups turn into scale-ups February 12, 2019 Investment into the UK's blossoming fintech sector broke records last year, as the country's startups reached a new stage in their growth journey. Venture capital and private equity investment in British fintech rose to an all-time high of $3.3bn (£2.6bn), up 18 per cent compared to 2017's levels, according to data published today by Innovate Finance. [...]
Monzo to roll out business bank accounts in revenue shake-up February 10, 2019 Digital bank Monzo will launch its first business accounts today, as the loss-making challenger attempts to find a more efficient way to generate revenue. The bank will open a waitlist, initially accepting only the first 100 applicants into beta testing. Monzo said it hopes to fully launch accounts for small businesses by the end of [...]
London named Europe’s top destination for international tech talent February 7, 2019 London has been named the top city in Europe for international technology talent, winning the title for a second consecutive year. The capital attracted more European and non-European tech professionals than any other major city on the continent last year, according to research revealed today by London & Partners. London also comes out on top [...]
Self-driving cars to hit UK roads by the end of the year February 6, 2019 Completely driverless cars could be on UK roads by the end of this year, after the government today said it would be overhauling existing regulations. The change by the Department for Transport will allow self-driving cars to be trialled on any public road without a human safety driver behind the wheel, however they must have [...]
Islington AI-powered gig economy startup Catapult nabs £4.3m February 6, 2019 On-demand staffing platform Catapult has raised £4.3m in fresh funding, taking its total amount raised in three years to £10m. The funding was led by Novator Partners, and supported by Dollar Shave Club and Jobbio-backer Elkstone Ventures. The Islington-based startup uses artificial intelligence to match the skills and experience of workers to employers' requirements, with [...]
Stereotypes won’t close the gender funding gap February 6, 2019 The latest figures from the British Business Bank on venture capital funding do not make for comfortable reading. Female-led startups get just 1p for every £1 of VC investment, all-male teams receive £5bn of funding per year, and having a single woman on the team correlates with lower investment. “Shocking”, in the words of chief [...]
Food waste startup Too Good To Go gobbles up €6m from investors February 5, 2019 Danish leftover food startup Too Good To Go has grabbed €6m (£5.3m) from some of its existing investors, as it prepares to expand into four new countries in 2019. The firm, which enables users to collect leftover dishes from restaurants and stores at discounted prices, has partnered with 1,500 retailers in London to date, including [...]
British startups hit by funding drop last year as fintech bucks the trend February 5, 2019 The amount of money pumped into Britain’s startups slipped in 2018, but fintech and blockchain investment provided a silver lining. Funding into the UK’s young companies dropped from 2017’s record high of £8.6bn to £7bn last year, according to data published today by Beauhurst. Deals at seed stage fell 15 per cent to almost the [...]
Business banking startup Anna Money raises £8.5m from Kinetik February 5, 2019 Financial admin startup Anna Money has landed £8.5m in funding from Kinetik, as the banking app aims to take on the big leagues. Anna, which offers a digital admin assistant, current account and banking debit card for small businesses, said it is preparing to launch several new tools in anticipation of HM Revenue & Customs' [...]