Published: May 27, 2026 at 11:05 am
An AI-native platform that aims to transform the deal origination sector has raised £1.7m in pre-seed funding.
London-based Handshaik is the brainchild of Gen Z founder Joshua Port, who came up with the idea while working in M&A at KPMG.
The 26-year-old, who is the son of serial entrepreneur and BigChange founder Martin Port, realised that AI and workflow automation could streamline the process of identifying potential targets.
After building in stealth for 15 months, he launched Handshaik to the market earlier this year and has already compiled 5.5 million company profiles and attracted hundreds of users to the platform.
The startup recently closed a £1.7m pre-seed fundraise from more than 20 angel investors.