A listed company developing circulating tumour cell (CTC) solutions for use in research, drug development and clinical oncology is ‘transitioning’ its CEO and CFO out of the business.

ANGLE plc said chief exec Andrew Newland and finance chief Ian Griffiths – neither of whom is on the company’s board – will have their contractual entitlements honoured over the next 12 months.

Chairman Dr Jan Groen has moved into an executive role to lead the company as it pursues a revised strategy, focused on tight cost control, accelerated commercial progress and a clear plan towards becoming a sustainable business.

Dr Groen has over 25 years of experience in the commercialisation of clinical and personalised oncology diagnostics, and has led the turnaround of several companies.

The company has a cash runway into Q1 2026 and will need to raise funds in the coming months. It is also proposing to change its name to CelLBxHealth plc.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Imperial College spinout Monolith AI is to be acquired by CoreWeave, a specialised cloud provider for AI based in the United States.

Last year Nasdaq-listed CoreWeave opened an office in London as its European headquarters as part of a broader expansion into the continent, with the promise of £1 billion investment.

Its data centres support some of the largest deployments of high-performance GPU clusters in the world, and the infrastructure through which those clusters are consumed is designed with engineers and innovators in mind. 

It is working with NVIDIA, Microsoft and Nscale to scale the UK’s AI infrastructure.

Now it has agreed to acquire Monolith, a pioneer in applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to solve complex physics and engineering challenges, for an undisclosed sum.

Author: Hannah Churchman, head of innovation and growth, Bruntwood SciTech

Ahead of FUEL Manchester on Thursday, we spoke with Bruntwood SciTech’s head of innovation and growth Hannah Churchman about moving the needle for growing businesses.

Before moving into innovation-focused roles in Lancashire and now Manchester, Hannah helped scale an EdTech SaaS firm to £3 million ARR.

Having worked in roles from technical sales to product management and managing director, she has done everything from leadership and marketing to product development and business operations.

“That was a brilliant learning experience and really taught me what it takes to build and scale a tech business from the inside,” she said ahead of the breakfast event at No.1 Circle Square.

“I understand the operational realities behind growth. I can relate to the challenges that entrepreneurs and scaleups face. I understand the difference between what sounds good in theory and what actually moves the needle for growing businesses.

“I think most importantly, it taught me that innovation isn’t just about having great ideas – it’s about execution, building the right structures, tech and teams, and creating sustainable pathways for growth.”

Wilmslow-headquartered digital skills and apprenticeship provider Apprentify Group has been named as one of the 50 fastest-growing firms in the North of England in the UK Fast Growth Index 2025.

Apprentify is a skills, training and apprenticeship provider. Through its specialist brands, the group delivers employer-focused learning solutions that empower individuals with digital, technical and professional skills.

All the firms on the list have also been entered for the 2025 UK Fast Growth Awards being held in London on November 26th where the winners will be recognised as the fastest growing in their sectors and their regions.

UK credit technology company Abound has passed £1 billion in total lending volume, less than five years after launching.

The London-based FinTech uses open banking and AI to analyse customers’ bank transactions in real time. This provides a more accurate view of affordability compared to traditional credit scores, which often rely on statistical averages and limited data.

For the year to February 2025, Abound reported £8m in net profit.

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has revealed plans to launch the first IP-backed loans for high growth businesses in Scotland – allowing them to access vital funding using the value of their Intellectual Property as collateral, instead of traditional physical assets.

It follows a change in Scottish law earlier this year whereby the Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Act 2023 took effect, giving lenders the ability to accept effective security over IP rights.

Next year, loans ranging from £250,000 up to £10 million, will improve the funding pipeline for high-growth Scottish businesses who, because of their lack of fixed assets, often find it difficult to secure funding to drive their growth.

RBS’ parent NatWest Group launched IP-backed loans in 2024 under its NatWest brand and has already agreed to lend high growth businesses in England and Wales in excess of £22m total funding. These include companies specialising in cloud-based software services, smart system technology, state of the art engineering and AI gaming platforms.

Yorkshire tech firm SmartSearch has agreed a deal to acquire Credas Technologies, a Cardiff-based provider of identity verification solutions for the legal and property sectors. 

SmartSearch, based in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, says the strategic acquisition enhances its position as one of the UK’s foremost digital Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance platforms.

The deal is subject to regulatory approval.

Invigilator, a South African-founded remote assessment platform, has raised $11 million in international equity funding to advance its expansion in both the UK and the US.

Founded in 2020, Invigilator’s platform is already used by more than 100 institutions worldwide, supporting over 850,000 registered students and processing more than six million results across 75,000 assessments.

The capital will fund Invigilator’s UK launch, scale its US presence, strengthen product development (including multilingual capabilities), and build commercial and support teams to partner with universities, awarding organisations, and professional bodies.

Its secure, data-light architecture combines mobile and PC proctoring with live AI monitoring, AI assistance detection, identity verification, configurable authentication, and anti-plagiarism tools – all designed to protect assessment integrity while remaining inclusive and accessible.

Lavasource, a provider of business transformation services across HR, payroll and technology, has opened a new office in Delaware.

The company, based at Sci-Tech Daresbury in the Liverpool City Region, is making a strategic investment in ‘one of the most dynamic HR and technology markets in the world’.

Lavasource, which claims to host the world’s largest dedicated talent marketplace for HR and HR tech, has delivered large-scale transformation projects in more than 70 countries, supporting clients across a diverse range of industries.

Digital agency Space 48 has rebranded as Glass Atlas.

The Manchester-based firm was backed by Foresight in 2021 and has grown since from 45 people to 180, with client numbers climbing from 40 to 140 and revenues from £4 million to over £16m as it acquired Brave the Skies, Bring Digital, and This is Digital, creating the Dark Matter Commerce collective in 2024.

Its clients include leading retailers such as Footasylum, Richer Sounds, American Golf, GoShorty, The Grafton Group, and RNIB.

Glass Atlas – a rebrand which also takes in all the sister companies – is targeting revenues exceeding £20m through strong organic growth and strategic M&A.

Specialist analytics and risk consultancy 4most has appointed Liam McLaughlin, formerly a partner at EY, as head of clients and markets.

In the newly created role, he will lead client engagement and support 4most’s international expansion across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and beyond.

McLaughlin brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in financial services consulting, with senior roles at EY, Deloitte and IBM. He has led large-scale transformation programmes and advised top-tier banks, insurers and capital markets businesses on complex challenges.

The Digital Pathfinders programme, delivered by Sunderland Software City and funded by the North East Combined Authority, has expanded south of the Tyne.

It will now offer fully funded digital support to SMEs, charities and social enterprises in Durham, Gateshead, Sunderland and South Tyneside — helping more organisations adopt technology, boost productivity and future-proof their operations.

The programme, currently serving Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland, has supported more than 450 organisations since 2020, creating 40 jobs.

Free one-to-one sessions and workshops on AI, website development and digital marketing are available until March 2026.

Law firm Pinsent Masons is moving its Manchester offices to One St Michael’s.

Partner and head of Manchester office Neil Black said: “This move isn’t just about a new address, it’s about ambition.

“No.1 St Michael’s represents our commitment to Manchester’s future, to our people, and to the clients and communities we work with.

“We’re proud to contribute to the energy and innovation that define Manchester, and we’re excited to continue building meaningful relationships and impactful work in a place that inspires us every day.”

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Student accommodation platform UniHomes has secured strategic investment from Macquarie Capital.

Private equity investor LDC is also reinvesting in the Sheffield business following a two-year partnership.

Since its formation in 2015, UniHomes has established itself as a marketplace for bills-inclusive accommodation, helping hundreds of thousands of students find somewhere to live. This letting season will see UniHomes partner with 1,000+ letting agents and operators, covering 60+ locations across the UK.

The investment will accelerate expansion to other markets including purpose-built student accommodation, build-to-rent and professional sharers.

Atombit, described as a fast-growth pan-European leader in experience intelligence spanning customer and employee experience, data analytics and AI, has made a fourth strategic acquisition since investment from Palatine in May.

The latest deal is for Omega3C, a 35-strong consultancy based in Milan, Italy, specialising in customer and employee experience transformation.

Led by Corrado Pelligra, Omega3C will continue to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Atombit.

Author: Max Thomas, partner, TBP Global Assets

Revolut’s recent valuation surge to $75 billion raises critical questions about its sustainability – especially as it prepares for an IPO.

“While its projected revenue for 2025 stands at $5.3bn, this results in an elevated EV/Revenue multiple of 14.2x, significantly higher than peers like NuBank and SoFi, which average around 10.1x.

“To justify and sustain this lofty valuation, Revolut must focus on several key areas.”

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Virtualstock, Europe’s largest dropshipping platform, has been acquired by a US rival.

Private equity-backed Logicbroker has completed a deal for Reading-headquartered Virtualstock, which was established in 2004 and processes more than eight million orders annually with a GMV (gross merchandise volume) of more than £2 billion.

Virtualstock’s dropship and curated marketplace platform powers online commerce for retailers including Aldi, Argos, B&Q, Currys and John Lewis. Its Supplier Hub also connects suppliers directly with buyers at major retailers.

The combined company will form one of the largest international dropship supplier networks. 

Author: Jonathan Symcox

England cricket stars Ben Stokes & Jofra Archer have joined India’s KL Rahul in investing in a medical travel disrupter.

The Medical Travel Company says it is seeking to close a critical gap in patient access as it launches the world’s first post-surgery insurance, protecting patients after returning home from treatment in India.

Stokes, Archer and Rahul’s investment company 4CAST has joined global VC Nexus Venture Partners in a €3.8 million raise.

Manufacturing at Jaguar Land Rover’s Wolverhampton engine plant has resumed following the cyberattack which suspended production for over a month.

The attack targeted its IT systems and also stopped production at factories in Merseyside and Solihull.

JLR said it had initiated a “controlled, phased restart of operations”.

The maker of ChatGPT is partnering with major companies including Spotify, Zillow and Mattel as part of its bid to transform the generative AI tool into a central portal where users can access a broader range of services.

Engineers at its developer conference in San Francisco demonstrated how they can now plug into ChatGPT in new ways, such as asking the tool to build a playlist in Spotify.

CEO Sam Altman also told the event that “you should expect a huge focus from us on really leaning into enterprise”.