The buzzing Cambridge Wide Open annual event returns in June, this time as a week-long interactive festival showcasing Cambridge's pioneers, the companies of the future, and opening the offices and workspaces that make up one of the world's most vibrant ecosystems.

Lifted Ventures has backed an angel investment round for WAC, the UK's number one app designed to empower hourly-paid workers by ensuring every minute of work is accounted for. They participated in a £500,000 bridging round which is currently overfunding and due to close very soon. This follows WAC's successful £1 million pre-seed raise that they previously closed.

Returnal Ltd, a tech-driven platform enabling retailers to take ownership of their secondary markets through seamless trade-in solutions, has successfully closed a £300,000 funding round. The round was led by SFC Capital with additional backing from British Business Investments and three angel investors.

Ireland's population of angel investors is on the rise with 290 new members joining the Halo Business Angel Network.

More than €25m was invested in Irish start-ups by angel investors between April 2023 and December 2024, according to new data from Halo Business Angel Network (HBAN).

England men's football captain and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane has become a shareholder in Seat Unique, the premium ticketing platform on a mission to give fans official access to unforgettable live experiences.

Phlux Technology, a Sheffield-based infrared sensor startup, has raised £9 million in a Series A funding round led by BGF, to enable the next generation of fibre broadband connectivity. Existing investors Octopus Ventures, Northern Gritstone, and Foresight also participated.

AI-native AML compliance platform Flagright has closed a £3.3m seed round to further develop Flagright solutions and fund international expansion. The raise was led by Frontline Ventures, with contributions from a series of notable angel investors.

AI-powered financial crime can take many shapes. In one particular case, an employee at a Hong Kong-based institution was tricked into sending a fraudster some £20m, after a video call with what seemed to be their colleagues and CFO. Some experts estimate that today, around half of all bank scams involve AI in one shape or another. One report suggests that in 2023, deepfake instances in fintech increased by 700%.

HSBC Innovation Banking has today published its latest annual term sheet guide. These agreements outline the basic terms and conditions of a proposed investment, and the provisions included provide a unique window into the startup investment landscape.

In partnership with 27 leading law firms that advise on UK venture capital (VC) deals, the report analyses 588 completed term sheets with a combined value of £7.6 billion, comprising a third (33%) of UK VC deal volume, and 40% of total deal value in 2024.

MarTech startup POCKLA has today announced it has raised £1.6 million to scale its proprietary AI-powered content strategy and creation platform in a seed funding round led by Venrex. Other high-profile investors and advisors joining the round include The Sidemen's VC arm Upside Ventures, Love Ventures, Shuttle, and Syndicate Room, plus a wealth of industry heavyweights including Rich Waterworth, formerly at TikTok, Dan Cobley, previously Head of Google UK/Ireland, and Michael Chock and Ryan Quinn, formerly at MiQ.

Castlemere (DK) Limited is a fast-growing Private Residential Real Estate Developer already responsible for several successful projects.

It creates aspirational and affordable modular penthouse living environments for the private residential market across London and the Southeast.

Its Current project is Vision House in Wimbledon, SW London, a collection of 1,2 and 3 bed residences.

Click here to find out more and how to invest. 

Bioniq, which is renowned for its personalized nutritional supplements based on blood biomarker data, has signed up football star Diogo Dalot, right-back for Manchester United and the Portugal national team, as an investor, contributing over €1 million.

Dalot joins the global football icon Cristiano Ronaldo, who became a major investor in 2024, and brought Bioniq's total valuation to $82 million. Dalot's investment marks another milestone in Bioniq's mission to make personalized health accessible to athletes and everyday individuals worldwide.

Qlarifi, a fintech start-up transforming credit reporting for Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL), has completed a pre-seed funding round backed by a combination of HoneyComb Asset Management, Carthona Capital and a selection of angel investors including Australian rugby legend John Eales, raised $1.8m USD to accelerate the company's mission of bringing repayment transparency to the BNPL industry.