Investa, a stocks and options trading app founded by ex-Citi Options brokers and the co-founder of Freetrade, has built the UK's first zero-commission listed options trading app for on-the-go traders.  

Investa aims to level the playing field by providing an accessible means of trading both stocks and options. After launching their first crowdfunding campaign on 25th September, they have closed the oversubscribed round early due to demand.

Oxford University Innovation (OUI), the technology transfer office of the University of Oxford, has launched its 2024 report "Shaping the Future: Oxford's Innovation Impact", showing it raised millions of pounds to fund innovative research and venture creation, filed scores of new patents and created more than 15 new companies over the past 12 months.

LaennecAI, a pioneering medical AI company based in Cardiff,has announced the successful completion of its pre-seed funding round. The company has secured investment from SFC Capital and OVC Ventures, along with grant funding from the Welsh Government, Innovate UK, and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). This combined support will accelerate the development of LaennecAI's software that turns every smartphone into an advanced digital stethoscope, aiming to bring healthcare closer to patients and usher in a new era of self-care

BindEthics, an innovative company dedicated to the development and commercialisation of sustainable adhesives for engineered wood products, has secured investment for their groundbreaking non-toxic adhesive made from industrial food waste with support from angel network Lifted Ventures.

Dorset Business Angels will host its next pitch event on November 25th at the Bournemouth Carlton Hotel.

Angel Academe has been named as a finalist in 2 categories at The Growth Investor Awards with winners being revealed at a Gala dinner on November 21st.

Investment opportunity in Castlemere Developments latest project.

Following a successful debut in 2023, SETsquared's Investment Futures event returns on 19 November with a brand-new line-up of deep tech start-ups and spin-outs pitching for investment and a packed agenda of panels and roundtables designed to shape the future of the investment landscape.

Alongside the roundtable discussions, investors will have the opportunity to see quickfire pitches from 20 deep tech and science-based start-ups and spin-outs from across SETsquared's portfolio. Representing key sectors such as space, FinTech, sustainable tech, EdTech, life sciences and health tech, these innovative start-ups and scale-ups are seeking investments to grow to the next level of between £250k - £10m. View the list of pitching companies.

Climate insurtech startup, Artio, has raised £550k to pioneer insurance solutions for early-stage carbon removal projects through its proprietary risk modelling platform. The round was led by Lifetime Ventures, leveraging their deep climate tech expertise, alongside SFC Capital, one of the UK's most active pre-seed investors.

Lifted Ventures is proudly celebrating its first year of activity, working to proclaim the North of England as the go-to destination for female-founded businesses seeking funding.

Established in September 2023 and officially launching in January 2024, Lifted Ventures set out with a clear mission: to empower and increase the flow of funding to female founders.

Driven by research findings that female-led businesses generate twice as much revenue per pound invested, despite receiving half the capital, Lifted Ventures is on a mission to drive change in the female founder and investment space.

Start-up funding is quoted as the biggest barrier by female founders with less than 1% of all venture funding being investment into businesses founded by all-female teams, according to The Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship report in 2023. Lifted Ventures launched in a quest to make investment accessible to all and promote the business and portfolio benefits to backing female founders, and to increase angel investment activity across the regions.

The University of Sussex Business Angels (USBA) group has backed a significant £1.1m fundraising round for cyber security SaaS platform, CybaVerse. USBA angels joined institutional backers including FSE Group, Haatch, Founder & Lightening in recognising the potential of the CybaVerse AI platform.

Birmingham-based venture capital firm Midven, in partnership with The 51% Club, has announced a new initiative that's set to nurture the next wave of high-growth female-led startups. The Fortuna Fellowship is a first-of-its-kind accelerator and will see up to five female-led ventures potentially secure a share of £2 million investment.