Bite-size news and insight from UK business and tech – including funding, deals and appointments
Published: February 13, 2026 at 2:59 pm
Revolut has become the official back of shirt sponsor for Manchester City Football Club’s men’s and women’s first team.
London-based Revolut is Europe’s most valuable FinTech and private tech firm, reaching a $75bn valuation in November 2025.
A spokesman said: “Revolut and City are built on a shared DNA: high performance, infinite ambition, and a desire to innovate where others haven’t. That’s why expanding this partnership makes perfect sense.
“But for us, sponsorship isn’t just visibility — it’s a way to create a better fan experience, which will include:
• 4 new co-branded virtual cards, now available in the UK & EEA.
• Hospitality, VIP experiences, and exclusive discounts for our customers.
• Future implementation of Revolut Pay, Revolut’s secure checkout tool, allowing fans and customers to earn more RevPoints¹ as they spend.
“Proud to rep the Sky Blues.”
Revolut now has over 65 million customers worldwide.
Published: February 13, 2026 at 8:52 am
Nscale, a UK hyperscaler focused on AI, has signed a £1 billion delayed draw term loan backed by GPUs.
The raise follows the recent announcement of Nscale’s $1.1bn Series B equity raise – the largest Series B ever in European history, and the announcement of Nscale’s $433m pre-Series C round.
The GPU DDTL was led by funds managed by PIMCO, Blue Owl, and LuminArx Capital Management, with support from additional asset managers and banks.
Headquartered in London and operating globally, Nscale is an AI-native infrastructure platform, providing vertically integrated compute, networking, storage, managed software and AI services delivered in Nscale-owned and colocated data centres.
The latest raise will finance multiple cluster deployments located in Norway, Portugal, Iceland and the UK.
Published: February 13, 2026 at 8:29 am
The CEO of SkinBioTherapeutics plc has resigned over ‘matters relating to his conduct’.
Stuart Ashman was suspended by the listed Newcastle firm’s board prior to the resignation and it has promised a full investigation.
The life science HealthTech, which is focused on skin heath, said non-executive chair Martin Hunt will temporarily become executive chair.
Published: February 13, 2026 at 7:53 am
Admiral Group has acquired London Insurtech Flock for £80m.
Flock has revolutionised motor fleet insurance through its fully digital platform.
The easy-to-access digital channel uses proprietary AI-driven risk models trained on hundreds of millions of miles of real-world driving data to reward commercial motor customers demonstrating improved safety throughout the lifetime of a policy.
It now provides insurance for hundreds of connected vehicle fleets which receive personalised, real-time safety guidance and recommendations based on live driving patterns.
Admiral’s UK Insurance business insures almost six million motorists and is known for its innovation and leadership in data.
It is one of the market leaders in telematics products, offering discounted premiums for good driving practice.
Flock will become Admiral’s telemetry fleet insurance proposition, and its existing technology platform and the team will form an important part of Admiral’s fleet insurance offering.
Flock’s CEO, Ed Leon Klinger, will join Admiral Pioneer’s leadership team.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 9:36 pm
Coleen Rooney has increased her shareholding in Liverpool-based Applied Nutrition.
The sports nutrition, health and wellness brand has been working with Rooney since 2024, taking a key ambassadorial role and co-created an exclusive range of five health and wellness products.
She said: “Alongside being an ambassador for the business, I had the opportunity to invest in the company and couldn’t be happier with my decision as the business continues to grow.
“I am excited about the future of the company as it expands into new markets and products and have decided to invest further.”
Applied Nutrition was founded in 2014 by CEO and fitness enthusiast, Tom Ryder, and listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2024.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 9:00 pm
Thank for joining me for the latest episode of Dragons’ Den – we’ll see you next week!
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:59 pm
They are leaning towards Steven but 10% is their upper limit.
Steven says: “You’ve got a deal!”
The cats have got the cream…
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:58 pm
Susie is out as £200k is a lot of money.
Peter is impressed by the technology but is also out.
Steven says they have something cool and disagrees with Deborah that they don’t need a Dragon. He offers them £200k for 12.5% of the business.
Touker says there is a lot to do here. He says he can bring the cost down of the product to stop competitors taking their market share. He offers half the money (£100k) for 10% if another Dragon comes in.
Deborah also makes an offer: £200k for 12.5%, same as Steven.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:52 pm
Their experience is in B2B not B2C, hence why they are looking for a Dragon.
They are also not social media experts, which they can also get from a Dragon.
Deborah doesn’t see a reason for them to get the investment.
Susie wants to know whether there is a benefit in terms of the cats not killing prey.
They begin to speak about initial data… Deborah challenges that and it is just their own experience…
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:48 pm
The product is £450. It costs them £160 to manufacture.
They are looking for £200k for 4% of the business.
At the time of filming, they had generated £353k turnover in the previous year with zero net profit.
They anticipate £1.9m turnover and £339k net profit in the coming year.
They tell Deborah that the algorithms in the camera are the barrier to entry for competitors.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:44 pm
Last to pitch are Northumberland brothers Martin and Tomas Rosinski, co-founders of OnlyCat, an AI-powered cat flap.
The smart pet product detects and prevents cats from bringing prey into the home via an AI camera which keeps the flap locked while sending the owner a video alert.
Like other products already on the market, it also includes microchip-based access control to prevent other cats from entering the home.
The business, which launched through crowdfunding, has since generated more than £2 million in revenue. However at the time of filming, it had raised £750k in pre-orders.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:42 pm
The founders ask whether he has connections in the industry they are targeting and he says not.
They deline his offer!
“Good for you,” says Susie.
In the lift, Erica says they were willing to go to 10% perhaps but not 20%.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:40 pm
Deborah has worked in the caravan industry and says toilets in RVs are plumbed in. It will take a lot of persuasion to get the industry to change the layouts of vehicles.
Steven is out.
Touker is also out as he can’t see when he’ll get a return.
Susie says she isn’t passionate about it and therefore is out.
Peter wants to invest! He offers the money for 20%, not 3%! And he is willing to share.
Deborah says that is a fair offer but will not be making an offer.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:37 pm
Steve asks for the profitability figure last year and is told £75k.
They are forecasting £1.2m revenue with a £300k loss in the next year.
They want investors for the long-term and tell Steven he wouldn’t be taking a dividend any time soon…. seven years in fact!
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:33 pm
The toilet breaks down number twos with organic matter.
Their latest product is the S1 Dry Flush Sealing toilet which is ‘waterless, odourless, eco-friendly, compact and stylish’. When you press ‘flush’ it seals the waste in a copostable bag.
They turned over £700k last year and are selling into North America and the UK, while they have distributors in other European countries.
They are looking for £100k for 3% of the business.
Peter tries it out to much laughter – it’s a bit small for him!
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:29 pm
Richard Peter and Erica Pugh present their ‘CompoCloset’ to the Dragons.
These composting toilets can be used for RVs, vans, tinyhomes and boats.
The duo say flushing drinking water down the toilet mixed with chemicals will become a thing of the past – starting now.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:27 pm
The business has been going for 10 years.
Revenue is now above £1m with £66k profit.
They plan to invest in scaling in the next year then see the benefits of that in the years to come.
Steve can’t see the innovation and Peter doesn’t see it as an investment at a £3m valuation. Touker is also out.
Susie can’t believe that after 10 years they are looking at a profit of just £15k in the next year. She’s out.
Deborah says “this is a business for you” and won’t be investing either.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:22 pm
The ladies, who have five children between them, are already gaining traction and are in 230 Tesco stores thanks to the supermarket’s accelerator.
They are looking for £100k for 3% of the business.
The Dragons are invited to decorate a biscuit. Steve hands Deborah a brilliant portrait of herself!
He’s cheating though – the founders made those biscuits. He’s actually drawn a heart.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:19 pm
Founded in 2016 by two friends, Kate Horne and Louise Nicholson, Craft & Crumb is a female-owned, independent baking kit brand.
Craft & Crumb are reinventing what ‘baking together’ looks like for families by creating monthly Bake & Craft subscription boxes and seasonal kits that give parents and kids a genuine ‘we made this!’ moment – not just another mix in a box.
From party bags without the plastic tat to Easter-themed baking kits, the startup aims to spark creativity, celebrate the mess, and prove that together really does taste better.
Published: February 12, 2026 at 8:16 pm
Deborah offers them the money for 20% of the business.
Peter says its not in his ‘wheelhouse’ and is out.
Touker is also out as it is going to take years.
Steven Bartlett has enjoyed the pitch and feels like they are friends – even though they don’t know each other – but says £50k is a lot to invest in a friend. He’s out.
Susie is also keen to get involved and is getting quite emotional! She offers all of the money for the 10%!
They accept the offer from Susie, a new mum herself.
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