mRNA science has shown the power of using an operating system framework for drug discovery and development with the successful COVID vaccine developments from Pfizer and Moderna. Integrating technology into the drug design process introduces unparalleled speed and flexibility. Kuano is using AI, quantum chemistry, and medical science to focus on enzyme reactions, a key factor in drug development, to develop novel therapeutics. The company is able to model enzyme reactions with unprecedented specificity allowing the drug makers to acquire the building blocks for pharmaceuticals that will address some of our most pressing and challenging diseases. London TechWatch caught up with Cofounder and CEO Vid Stojevic to learn more about how the Kuano changes the paradigm of drug development, the company’s strategic plans, and recent round of funding from ACF Investors, o2h Ventures, and a syndicate of Cambridge, London and UK-based angel investors.
London Startups
Disciple Media Raises $6M to Let Creators Build Their Own Owned Audiences Rather Than Relying on Social Networks
The meteoric rise of the newest social networks is largely because of the work of creators rather than the network itself, which has many creators questioning the dependency on individual platforms. Creators spend countless hours developing content with little reward and face the constant risk of algorithm changes, policy shifts, bans, and monetization restrictions when they opt to build their followings on one of the popular social networks. Disciple Media is a SaaS platform that lets these individuals own the access to their audiences by allowing creators to build their own digital communities. The platform offers branded social spaces on the web, iOS, and Android that are easy to set up and maintain. Functions available include unlimited groups, messaging, push notifications, live streaming, and a host of monetization options including subscription, selling courses, and exclusive content. Disciple currently hosts over 2M users across 500 communities. London TechWatch caught up with CEO and Founder Benji Vaughan to learn more about how his own experience in the music business inspired the platform, the company’s strategic plans, and latest round of funding, which brings the total funding raised to $6.14M.
Anorak Raises Another £5 for its Automated Life Insurance Recommendation Platform
While COVID accelerated interest life insurance products, a large portion of the UK population still does not have coverage or is underinsured. COVID also accelerated our adoption of digital solutions as in-person activity came to a halt. Yet, 80% of life insurance products are sold offline through financial advisors. Anorak is an online life insurance advice platform that’s focused on making life insurance more accessible to consumers in a digital-first era. For years, there have been online solutions that allow you to type in a few inputs and receive quotes from a small portion of available options with very little personalization. Anorak goes beyond that by holistically understanding your financial situation and obligations in order to tailor independent recommendations for policies that will meet your needs. Anorak services interested consumers through its website and is also available through APIs for its partner ecosystem of digital financial service providers, broadening the scope of the market it can serve. London TechWatch caught up with CEO and Cofounder David Vanek to learn more about how the pandemic has presented the momentum for innovation in the life insurance industry, the company’s strategic plans, and latest round of funding from investors that include Outward VC, Triple Point Ventures, Kamet Ventures, Nic Kohler, Paul Evans, Charlie Delingpole, and Will Neale.
The 19 Largest London Startup Funding Rounds of Q2 2021
Everything you need to need to know about the largest London startup funding rounds of Q2 2021; broken down by industry, stage, investors, and more…
These 17 London Startups Raised the Most Capital in June 2021
Over £1.3B in funding raised by London startups in June. Here’s a look at the top rounds. Everything you need to need to know about the largest London startup funding rounds of June 2021; broken down by industry, stage, investors, and more…
Dexda Acquired by LogicMonitor to Apply AI and ML to IT Monitoring
Dexda, an intelligent predictive fault management platform for physical assets, has been acquired by LogicMonitor, a private equity-owned IT infrastructure monitoring platform. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Electric Gamebox Raises Another $11M for its Social In-Person Immersive Gaming Experiences
As the world emerges from the shadows of lockdowns of the last 16 months, consumers, starved for entertainment options out of the home, will be greeted with new and novel immersive experiences that fuse technology and groups together. Advances in motion tracking, touch screens, and sound technologies are making location-based entertainment solutions more compelling and attractive for those wanting to try something new. Electric Gamebox is a provider of social in-person multisensory gaming experiences designed to be enjoyed by groups of 2-6. The company currently has four locations that offer 30-60 minute experiences that are designed to collaborative and fun with plans for aggressive geographic expansion over the next few years. The Electric Gamebox experience requires a small physical footprint and the company plans to integrate into existing retail locations to increase its availability. Like Escape the Rooms, the gameplay is meant to be versatile for outings for groups of friends, dates, corporate team-building, birthday parties, etc. The company currently offers 6 games that it has developed with plans to bring more titles onboard including brand name franchises to enhance its experiential capabilities. Pricing for its London location starts at £9 for kids and £14 for adults for 30 minutes, making it quite accessible. London TechWatch caught up with CEO, Cofounder, and repeat entrepreneur Will Dean (founded Tough Mudder) to learn more about the inspiration for the business, how the company managed to expand despite lockdown during the pandemic, strategic plans, lastest round of funding from investors that include Philian, Brookfield Asset Management, Index Ventures, Project A, and ActivumSG.
Yellowpop Raises $4M to Make Neon Signs a Staple of Home Decor
The global online home décor market nearly reached $100B in 2020 and is expected to topple $350B by 2027. The pandemic reoriented how we view our homes and lockdowns led countless individuals to focus their attention and finances on improving the aesthetic of their living situations. Yellowpop is a direct-to-consumer home décor startup that’s hoping that LED neon signs will be a part of this increased shift. The company offers both custom options, where consumers can design their signs, and also from its collection, which includes limited editions co-produced with leading artists, designers, and creators. London TechWatch caught up with cofounder Jeremy Cortial to learn more about the inspiration that led to turning neon signs into art, the company’s strategic plans, recent funding round from Eutopia, and much, much more.
E-Nano is Closing in on a £275K Round to Make Robotic Sports Turfs Monitoring a Reality
You turn on the TV to watch a sports event and you see a pristine pitch without thinking twice. But behind the scenes, there is a sophisticated system of turf science focused on mowing, fertilization, irrigation, seeding, and aeration. It costs in excess of $1M per year to maintain the average golf course. E-Nano is building a future where robots are used to monitor and control the process of maintaining sports fields and stadium pitches to bring these costs down and reduce the environmental impact of turf management. The company’s robotic solution integrates sensors, 5G, and AI to provide sophisticated analytics to optimize field maintenance. London TechWatch caught up with CEO Christian von Scheidt to learn more about how robots-as-a-service will modernize turf management, the company’s future plans, and initial fundraising efforts.
Lifted Raises Another $6.2M for its Comprehensive Home Care Management Platform
Isolation from the pandemic has been especially hard on older adults, many that are in need of some form of support (both large and small) for activities of daily living. Over the last decade, a record portion of the population has been turning 65 each year in the UK, fueled by baby boomers. The combination of these two factors has made home health care a pillar of the healthcare system to support the needs of the elderly population and their families. Lifted is a comprehensive home care management platform that makes it easy for families to access, use, plan for, and manage their home care needs. The home care industry is extremely fragmented and navigating the landscape can be difficult to find trusted providers. Lifted brings transparent, and reliable experience to the process with its own dedicated staff (other providers rely on contract workers), digital-first experience, and resources. London TechWatch caught up with CEO and Cofounder Rachael Crook to learn more about how her experience caring for her mother inspired the company, the state of the industry, strategic plans, and latest round of funding from investors that include Fuel Ventures, 1818 Venture Capital, Perivoli Innovations, the J.B. Ugland family office, Kluz Ventures through its new health affiliated fund Novit Ventures, and VOYAGERS HealthTech.