North west-based multi-family investment office, Arete, has announced it has led a £3m investment into experience analytics platform, Uncrowd.  Created by retail and systems experts Richard Hammond and Rocky Howard, Uncrowd is a cutting-edge platform that allows global retailers and brands to measure customer experience through innovative methods of data collection. It was recognised as one of Silicon Valley’s best retail tech start-ups at this year’s Plug and Play Fall Summit and has earnt a place on the Plug and Play accelerator programme.

High-end online travel agency, Luxury Cottages, is set to create a significant number of new jobs after securing a substantial investment from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) West Midlands Equity Fund, managed by Midven, part of the Future Planet Capital Group.

Payhawk, the payments and expense solution with offices in London, Sofia, Berlin and Barcelona, has raised $112 million just three years after its inception, valuing the company at $570m. The Series B round is led by the San Francisco-based investor Greenoaks, who has a strong track record of investing in high-growth technology companies such as Gorillas, Robinhood, Stripe and Brex. All existing investors, including QED Investors, Earlybird Digital East and Eleven Ventures are participating in the round.

Shield-IoT, a leader in mass-scale IoT and IIoT network cyber security and operational monitoring, has closed a $7.4 million Series A round of funding. The Series A round was led by NextLeap Ventures and Bloc Ventures, with participation of Atlas Ventures, Akamai Technologies, Springtide Ventures, DIVEdigital and Janvest Capital Partners.

Continuity, the company using AI to help insurers improve underwriting for SMEs, has raised €5m from Elaia Partners, Bpifrance and Kamet ventures.  Created in 2019 with renowned European venture builder Kamet Ventures, Continuity’s SaaS platform uses Open Data and AI to detect insurance contracts that are either outdated or invalid across four product lines, including Professional Indemnity, Commercial Property, Construction Workers Insurance, and Directors & Officers Liability.

A TECH start-up that eases the administrative burden left with bereaved families has set its sights on rapid expansion, after receiving support from a team of North East innovation experts.

Settld has secured over £800,000 for its end-of-life admin platform, which automates bereavement notifications to over 750 companies from banks to social media players. By digitising the process, Settld reduces the admin stress often left with grieving families and the professionals who support them.

Pixie, a UK-based startup creating a simpler approach to practice management and workflow automation for small accounting and bookkeeping firms, has raised £2.25 million in a seed funding round led by Triple Point Ventures, with the participation of Seedcamp, MMC Ventures, and serial entrepreneurs and angel investors including Duane Jackson (Kashflow, Staffology), Will Neale and Chris Adelsbach.

Palatine has unveiled a major rebrand to reflect its leading position in driving and delivering sustainable business growth in the mid-market and its pioneering role in UK Impact investing, following a milestone year of investment and exit activity.

Charco Neurotech, a medical technology company that develops solutions for people with Parkinson’s, has raised $10m seed investment round, co-led by technology investors Amadeus Capital Partners and Parkwalk Advisors, and joined by University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners (UTEC), MINT Venture Partners, and existing investors, including Crista Galli Ventures. The financing is the largest European seed round in 2021 and the sixth largest globally for healthtech devices, according to Pitchbook.

Charco is a multi-award winning, Imperial College spinout. Its first therapeutic device, CUE1, provides life-changing neuromodulation therapy.

Sleek.com, a leading platform providing incorporation and accounting services for SMEs and entrepreneurs, has announced a $14 million in Series A funding led by White Star Capital and Jungle Ventures, as it launches in the UK. This round brings the total capital raised by the company to $24M. Sleek will use the fresh funds to bolster tech and product development, hiring, and expand presence in existing markets and enter new ones.

Bowmark Capital, the mid-market private equity firm, has completed an investment in Kubrick Group, a leading provider of next-generation technology consulting.

Clue, a SaaS platform for managing investigations has raised growth investment of £5 million from Frog Capital, a leading investor in European scale-up software. Demand for Clue has more than doubled over the last two years, driven by co-owners Clare Elford, CEO, and Thomas Drohan, CCO. From its roots in policing, the platform is now used across government, private and non-profit sectors to investigate cyber-crime, fraud, child protection, corruption, environmental crime, cheating in sports and much more.