19 local businesses spearheading innovative solutions to some of the region's most pressing challenges have been announced as finalists of a £1 million competition for businesses to build a brighter West Yorkshire that works for all.

WiseBee, a cybersecurity startup building an on-demand, autonomous security team that monitors, detects, and neutralises threats, has raised $2.5 million in pre-seed funding to accelerate development and deployment of its Agentic cyber risk mitigation platform. The round was led by Frontline Ventures and BrightCap Venture with participation from angels with experience at SecurityScorecard, AWS, and Deloitte.

Grace & Green, the trailblazing sustainable period care brand, has secured a significant milestone in its mission to revolutionise the hygiene industry with the close of a £1.3 million funding round, with support from Lifted Ventures. The round will accelerate the company's ambition to launch two world-first, patented R&D innovations in period and incontinence care.

Ciqurix, an innovative company that has created a revolutionary video flame detection system, has received investment from four Henley Business Angels members, contributing towards a funding round of £625k. In addition to the angel investments, Ciqurix received £500k of investment from Midwich Plc, via their investment arm Midwich Ignite. This level of commitment from an industry heavyweight is not only hugely beneficial from a capital perspective but also a clear message of product and market validation from a public company.

Tradeaze, an innovative asset-light marketplace platform connecting building merchants and contractors to an elastic fleet of construction couriers, has secured investment from seven members of Henley Business Angels (HBA), in collaboration with the Southern Angel Investors Club (SAIC). The investment forms part of a wider £1.25 million funding round.

Devon-based AI powered sales outreach platform, Sendr, has secured a £250,000 equity investment from the British Business Bank's South West Investment Fund via appointed fund manager, The FSE Group. The investment forms part of a wider funding round aimed at accelerating further product development and market expansion.

Founded in 2023 by Dave Cannell and John Bromley, Sendr is a cutting-edge platform that transforms traditional mass email marketing. Head-quartered in Exeter, Sendr creates personalised, short-form video content powered by advanced AI tools, allowing businesses to engage clients more effectively. The company has quickly gained traction, securing partnerships with prestigious organisations including the Financial Times.

South East Angels has made an investment in Myriad Wind Systems, a wind energy technology company.

Based in Scotland, Myriad Wind Systems has developed new technology that addresses one of the wind energy sector's most persistent challenges - delivering wind power to hard-to-access locations.

Fhunded, Lancashire County Council's (LCC) early-stage investment programme used its recent second anniversary to share details of the positive impact it has had on the county's startup and scaleup economy.

PetProov, a Chorley-based startup which uses anti-fraud technology to combat illegal and unethical practices within the pet sector, has recently closed a six-figure angel investment round.

Oxford-UK-based Modern Baker has raised £2.5 million in Series A funding, led by London impact investor Adjuvo, to scale its concept of healthy ultra-processed food (UPF) internationally.   Previous investment includes 3 EIS seed rounds with angels from tech, travel and digital industries.

Belfast-based tech company Fluid Focus has secured £640,000 in investment from Co-Fund III and a network of business angels across the UK and Europe, to grow its team, enhance its core product and expand in new markets, beginning with the United States.

Leading UK finance specialists Annie Ropar and Paul Oldham have joined the Board of the Development Bank of Wales as Non-Executive Directors.