Lithium Salvage ("Li-Sal") UK Limited has secured significant funding to scale production in a new facility in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear.

The investment round led by Venture Sunderland with additional investment from Sixthwave Ventures, Gaspara Asset Management, NPIF II - Maven Equity Finance, which is managed by Maven as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II ("NPIF II") and business angel investors from across the UK.

BOW, a robotics software company, has secured a combined £4 million seed round investment led by Northern Gritstone, the investment business focused on science and technology in the North of England and chaired by Lord Jim O'Neill. Co-investors include Finance Yorkshire and NPIF II - Praetura Equity Finance, which is managed by Praetura as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II.

Fuel Ventures has invested £2 million in Prosper, a wealth management platform targeting high net worth individuals that is shaking up the way wealth is managed by unlocking access to private markets and leveraging AI.

The investment round which totalled £4 million was led by Fuel Ventures and included participation from existing investors, including England cricket captains Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, Olympians Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Dame Sarah Storey and Tim Pidcock, and footballers Ben White and Serge Gnabry. They are among 60 professional athletes who invested through The Players Fund, a VC firm that also took part in the round. Liverpool footballer Cody Gakpo invested directly.

Financial services AI platofrm Serene has successfully raised £930,000 in pre-seed funding to improve how financial services detect and support customers in vulnerable circumstances. The round was led by Fuel Ventures, with participation from NatWest Group, Oxford Seed Fund, and a group of industry-specific angel investors with deep sector expertise.

Oxford Innovation Finance, the home of OION and Oxford Innovation EIS Growth Fund, has launched its first independent SEIS Growth Fund. This fund targets innovative UK science and technology startups, responding to increased investor demand for SEIS investments and the growing pool of high-quality SEIS opportunities.

Yavrio, a London-based Open Banking fintech, has raised $2.4 million in seed funding to accelerate the fast-growing firm's mission to transform the enterprise resource planning (ERP) space by eradicating error- and fraud-prone CSV file imports.

Fuel Ventures led the round with a $1.9m investment and joins an illustrious group of Yavrio investors which includes Sajid Javid, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Garth Ritchie, former President of Deutsche Bank, alongside Dan Cobley, co-founder of ClearScore and Salary Finance.

Cult Mia, the London-based online fashion marketplace that is redefining luxury retail, has announced a significant milestone following its latest Seed Funding investment round, led by Fuel Ventures, H&M Group Ventures, and other backers. This commitment comes off the back of a year of exceptional growth, with the company's topline tripling as Net Revenue rose by 191% year-over-year, exceeding annual forecasts by 4%.

Shopblocks, the Stockport-based business that is a pioneer in digital commerce, has raised £2m from NPIF II - Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia Ventures as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II), Mercia's EIS funds, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and private investors.

The North of England has some of the most exciting innovations in healthcare, but finding funding to develop and commercialise many of these ground-breaking ideas can often be very difficult.

SFC Capital, the UK's most active early-stage investor, has made its 500th portfolio company investment, marking a significant milestone in its mission to support ambitious entrepreneurs and drive innovation across the UK.

Founded in 2012 as the "Startup Funding Club" angel network, SFC Capital was an early adopter of the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS), establishing one of the first SEIS funds. This pioneering approach laid the groundwork for over a decade of success in early-stage investment.

Lupa, the AI-native veterinary practice management platform, has closed a $4M seed from top investors including firstminute capital, 2100 Ventures and Vento by Exor Ventures. Other investors include top McKinsey, BCG, JP Morgan, Nexi, and NovaCapital angels. Lupa will use the new funding to accelerate product development and commercial expansion.

Atelerix, a Newcastle University spinout that is transforming the way that biosamples essential for drug discovery and pharmaceutical research are stored and transported, has raised £750k, with participation from ACF Investors and biotech specialist investors o2h Ventures, bringing the year's total funding to £1.25m. The investment will be used to drive the company's branding and sales efforts and drive widespread adoption of its technology, positioning Atelerix's range of hydrogels as the preferred shipping method for biosamples.