A mid-Wales-based start-up which plans to make DNA testing technology as easy to use as a smartphone has been backed with a £350,000 equity investment from the Development Bank of Wales, alongside £185,000 from London-based tech investors SFC Capital.

The Bettii Pod Ltd, a pioneering FemTech start-up founded in 2021 by CEO Elaine Galston, has successfully raised £337,000 to further its mission of normalising and destigmatising menstruation while promoting sustainable menstrual practices.

The Bettii Pod's innovative menstrual cup/disc washer is designed for installation within the cubicles of away from home toilets, addressing the practical challenges faced by users of reusable menstrual products. By focusing on convenience and hygiene, the company is poised to drive adoption of sustainable menstrual solutions, advancing the FemTech hardware sector.

The investment was led by Edinburgh angel syndicate Equity Gap, with co-investment from Scottish Enterprise. Lifted Ventures introduced 12 angel investors to participate in the deal. Lifted Ventures contributed not only by helping The Bettii Pod raise capital from its angel network, but also by bringing expertise, connections, and strategic guidance.

Axial3D, a leader in creating AI-powered 3D medical imaging algorithms, automated planning and patient specific 3D solutions, has announced the completion of a new investment round totalling USD 18.2 million

Resalis Therapeutics, which received investment from Italian Angels for Growth (IAG) in March, has announced a strategic equity investment from Sanofi. 

Scottish bio-tech Biotangents has completed a £2.3 million investment round led by Eos and British Business Investments through their Regional Angels Programme, and existing investors and Kelvin Capital and Scottish Enterprise.

Animal Health Angels, a group of veterinary and animal health professionals committed to advancing innovation in the animal health industry, has invested in SageTech Medical as part of an ambitious £650,000 seed round led by EMV Capital.

This investment supports SageTech Medical's pioneering work in developing sustainable solutions for anaesthetic gas capture and recycling-a breakthrough with implications for both human and animal healthcare.

Newcells Biotech - whose laboratory models help speed up drug development and reduce reliance on animal testing - has raised a further £1.2m from existing investors Mercia Ventures, Northstar Ventures and North East Finance.

Northern Gritstone has led a £4 million seed investment in Sheffield University spinout Exciting Instruments alongside co-investors Empirical Ventures, NPIF II - Praetura Equity Finance, and serial entrepreneurs Stan Boland and Jonathan Millner.

Chiron Health AI, a health-tech startup which provides a breakthrough model in chronic disease management, has announced the successful completion of its pre-seed funding round, led by SFC Capital. The funding will enable Chiron Health AI to accelerate the launch of its fully integrated B2B product for healthcare payers, providers and pharma, and to develop a new data-driven self-care pathway designed to sit alongside medical care.

Little Journey, the healthtech company transforming the delivery of paediatric care through personalised psychological support, has raised £6m in Series A funding round. Mercia Ventures invested alongside the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund I (NPIF I), Par Equity, Octopus Ventures, Calm/Storm Ventures, and angel investors.

MintNeuro, a pioneer of scalable, low-power semiconductor technology for minimally-invasive neural implant applications, has raised £1 million in a funding round led by Empirical Ventures. Additional investment came from Parkwalk Advisors (through the Imperial College Enterprise Fund), Imperial College London, Plug & Play, Excellis Holding, and several prominent angel investors.

Research Grid, the AI startup that helps medical research institutions automate back-office admin for clinical trials, has raised a $6.5m seed round. The company will use the new funding to double down on its mission of making clinical trials faster and more successful.