Author: Chris Maguire

London PropTech firm Dwelly has completed its sixth deal of 2026.

Dwelly, which announced a £69m ($93m) funding deal in February 2026, has added Move Property Sales & Lettings to its growing portfolio.

Following a series of acquisitions, Dwelly aims to consolidate and dominate the £100bn UK lettings market.

Dwelly was founded by Ilia Drozdov, Dan Lifshits and Dmitry Khanukov.

 Lifshits said the acquisition will add around 1,100 fully managed properties across three branches to its AI-powered rental marketplace.

The move also strengthens Dwelly’s footprint in Cheltenham and the wider South West.

Businesses across Greater Manchester are already expanding into international markets through the International Scale Up Programme, with companies such as Masumi Headwear and Content Chemistry growing their presence overseas. 

Applications are now open for Cohort 3, inviting a new group of ambitious companies to take their next step toward global growth.

Delivered in partnership by GM Business Growth Hub, the Department for Business and Trade, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the fully funded programme provides coordinated, hands-on support for businesses looking to scale internationally.

Building on the momentum of earlier cohorts, the programme combines expert-led workshops with practical guidance on market entry, compliance, logistics, pricing and intellectual property. Businesses also benefit from tailored one-to-one support and introductions to international partners, helping them turn export plans into tangible results.

Cohort 3 will also benefit from an enhanced support model, with funded activity and specialist guidance available for up to 12 months. This extended support gives businesses the time and flexibility to embed and scale their international strategies.

Space Forge will receive £10 million from the European Space Agency’s General Support Technology Programme.

The Cardiff-based business is a leader of in-space manufacturing with a focus on producing semiconductors – the materials that power many modern electronic devices – in microgravity, where the environment enables the creation of materials with properties that cannot be achieved on Earth. 

The cash injection will be funded through the UK Space Agency’s investment in ESA, which will support a mission to design, build, launch and return ‘Pridwen’, a new fold-out heat shield system built to protect spacecraft returning to Earth.

The North East cyber ecosystem is set to take centre stage this month when global cyber security leader, Check Point, partners with CyberNorth to host the Cyber Leader Summit as an official fringe event as part of TechNExt 2026.

The collaboration represents a major endorsement of the North East’s growing cyber ecosystem and highlights the region’s increasing influence within the UK cyber security sector. Check Point’s decision to bring its established Cyber Leader Summit roadshow to Newcastle marks a significant coup for the region and a strong nod to the exceptional cyber talent developing across the North East.

Hot on the heels of its London event and following successful editions in Manchester, the Cyber Leader Summit will make its Newcastle debut during TechNExt 2026, bringing together cyber security professionals, technology leaders, innovators and policymakers for an afternoon of expert insight, discussion and networking focused on the future of cyber resilience and emerging technologies.

As a key contributor to the UK’s overall cyber strategy, CyberNorth leads the growing regional economic impact of a thriving cyber security community. With strong, well-established connections across multiple sectors, including quantum and CNI, CyberNorth is able to support partners through meaningful introductions, collaboration and access to a broad, engaged network.

Dreamdata, a B2B attribution platform that shows how B2B marketing drives revenue, has appointed software veteran and advisor Dave Kellogg to its board to help shape the company’s future growth strategy.

Kellogg is a respected thought leader and author of the widely followed Kellblog, where he writes about go-to-market-strategy, SaaS and enterprise software.

He brings more than 30 years of experience at CEO, CMO and board roles in companies ranging from zero to over $1 billion in revenue and some of the world’s leading enterprise software firms, including Business Objects, Planful and Salesforce.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Amplifi Capital has entered administration.

The London FinTech is behind the credit union introducer brand My Community Finance as well as sub-prime loan provider Reevo Money.

Authorised by the FCA, it raised £22.5m in 2024 from M&G Investments to drive growth of Reevo Money, while the year before it secured a financing facility of up to £100m from NatWest to drive the expansion of Reevo.

Robert Spence and Gareth Slater of Interpath Advisory were appointed joint administrators on 9th June 2026.

All existing loan agreements remain in place and will not change because of the administration. However, Amplifi can no longer issue new loans.

Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) announced Chloe Danton from Hodge Bank as the winner of its inaugural Venture AI Innovators Challenge, revealed during a showcase event at London Tech Week.

The competition, delivered in partnership with Tramshed Tech, brought together a cohort of emerging talent from across South East Wales to develop practical, innovative solutions which embrace tools like artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle real-world business challenges.

The winner was unveiled at an afternoon reception attended by leaders from technology, industry, government and academia, demonstrating CCR’s growing reputation as a hub for innovation and skills development.

The event formed part of London Tech Week and highlighted the region’s commitment to developing future-ready talent and driving economic growth through applied AI.

Following a ten-week programme, participants progressed from early idea development through to fully realised, pitch-ready solutions, supported by expert mentoring and access to industry insight. The final three were selected after a competitive shortlisting process, with judging led by an expert panel coordinated by Tramshed Tech.

Alongside Chloe, the final saw standout entries from runners-up Wei-Jei Yuan from EA Global and Jacob Newman from Safran Seats, whose solutions impressed judges for their creativity and real-world application. The winning solution, developed by Chloe stood out for its innovation, practical application and its potential to deliver measurable impact within its sector.

Cloud202 has launched Qubitz AI, a new agentic AI platform designed to help businesses move from AI experimentation to production, cutting development costs by up to 80% and reducing delivery times from months to weeks.

Unlike many AI development platforms that focus on prototypes or minimum viable products, Qubitz AI takes organisations through the full journey: identifying the solutions most likely to deliver a return on investment, and architecting the multi-agent system, testing it, and deploying a complete, governed, full-stack application, not a chatbot.

One organisation already benefiting from the platform is Halved.io, an always available learning support system that brings expert guidance to every student at the exact moment they need it.

Founder Andy James had previously spent thousands developing an application with another supplier, only to find the solution failed to meet the business’s requirements. Using Qubitz AI, Cloud202 refreshed the platform, incorporating responsible AI controls, security measures and GDPR compliance, for approximately 20% of the cost.

It says the project was delivered in just four weeks, compared with an estimated six months using traditional development and compliance processes.

Earthmark has launched a new brand directory displaying environmental performance data for thousands of UK and global businesses.

It underpins the ‘Earthmark’ for brands and marketplaces – a simple, trusted score integrated into online shopping experiences that helps businesses and consumers assess a company’s environmental performance at a glance.

The platform collects and aggregates data from publicly available sources of information and credible third parties such as SBTi (Science Based Targets Initiative) and B Corp. It then analyses this information to generate environmental performance scores for more than 25,000 brands globally, awarding each a score from zero to five.

Digital transformation consultancy Public Digital (PD) has made a series of board updates to strengthen its governance and position the company for its next phase of growth.

Sarah Clark has been appointed as a Non‑Executive Director, while Tim Brooks, former Chair, is standing down from the Board after eight years.

PD co-founder and current Partner Tom Loosemore has announced his forthcoming retirement and a new role as Non‑Executive Director from January 2027.

These changes follow the appointment in January this year of Lesley Cowley OBE, as PD’s new Chair, succeeding Tim Brooks.

Clark brings experience in digital transformation, organisational strategy and public service delivery to PD, including leadership roles at Barclays and PayPal. She has advised executive teams across sectors on scaling impact, improving accountability and building high‑performing digital organisations.

Former Head of the Civil Service Simon Case has joined AI startup Electric Twin, marking one of his first major roles since stepping down from government.

Electric Twin was founded by Dr Ben Warner, former Chief Adviser on Digital and Data to the Prime Minister, and Alex Cooper, a former military commander who helped establish the UK’s mass testing programme during the pandemic.

Case worked alongside Warner and Cooper inside Number 10 at the heart of the COVID response, where all three saw first-hand how major decisions affecting millions of people were made with incomplete information. This experience inspired Electric Twin.

Whilst in government, Case was a driving force on AI: he oversaw civil service reform on digital, data and science capability, and was the senior official overseeing the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park and the establishment of the AI Safety Institute (ASI).

Author: Jonathan Symcox

NCC Group plc has decided against a sale of its remaining cybersecurity business.

The Manchester firm said the sale of its Escode business for £262.8 million cash completed at the end of May and will allow it to focus on cybersecurity.

It says that arm of the business will remain as a listed entity.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Foresight Group has agreed to sell its public markets investment division, Foresight Capital Management, to Guinness Global Investors.

The disposal by the investment manager involves the transfer of all of FCM’s funds, totalling approximately £1 billion in Assets under Management – 7% of Group AUM as of 31 March 2026 – and 16 employees.

It said the deal helps to streamline Foresight’s operating model, enabling it to focus on its core real assets and private equity businesses. 

Author: Chris Maguire

Capsa AI, the London and New York-based startup building the AI operating system for private capital, has raised $18m (£13.4m) in a Series A round.

The round was co-led by TX Ventures and Pivot Investment Partners, with significant participation from Bek Ventures.

The round closes on the back of a 100 per cent customer renewal rate and 14x year-on-year ARR growth.

Capsa AI was founded by Danyal Ozduzenciler and Callum Downie.

The company’s growth accelerated rapidly this year when the UK startup opened a New York office, with CEO Ozduzenciler permanently relocating to the US.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Frasers Group has made a £1.7 billion bid to buy Hugo Boss.

Mike Ashley’s listed retail group has offered cash for the 74% of the legendary German fashion designer firm it does not already own.

Listed firm Hugo Boss makes high-quality men’s and women’s apparel, shoes and accessories.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Employee survey platform Stribe has promoted Lucy Harvey to CEO following nine years with the business and several years serving as COO.

Harvey joined the company as marketing manager during its early growth stage, when the business operated a single product, Tootoot, an anti-bullying platform designed to help children and young people safely speak up. 

During this period, the business partnered with the UK Department for Education, supported more than 600,000 young people globally, and built the foundations that would later shape Stribe’s approach to employee voice.

Her appointment comes during a period of significant momentum for Stribe, which has doubled customer numbers for the second consecutive year and grown ARR by 40% YoY. 

Founder Kieran Innes will step aside but remain with the business. He wrote on LinkedIn: “This change means I’ll be getting even more focused on product development, building on the momentum we’ve created, improving the tools our customers rely on, and continuing to make sure Stribe and Tootoot help give people a voice in workplaces, schools, and beyond.”

Author: Jonathan Symcox

A former A&E doctor has raised £11.2 million to bring ‘big city’ healthcare to local clinics.

Oxford-trained former NHS doctor Dr Sonia Szamocki founded 01Health in 2022 after seeing firsthand how specialist healthcare remained concentrated in hospitals and major cities, while the local clinics closest to many patients lacked the infrastructure, oversight, and operational systems needed to deliver more advanced care. 

The results of this imbalance are years-long waiting lists, delayed treatment and limited access to specialist expertise.

The Series A round was led by Gresham House Ventures, with follow-on investment from existing backers Balderton Capital, Eka Ventures, and Wavemaker360, alongside angels including Nicolas Cary, co-founder of Blockchain.com.

The investment will support the launch of the 01Health platform across the UK and its introduction to the US – where trials are currently underway and a Head of US commercial operations has been appointed to lead the expansion. 

For the first time, practices, practice groups and dental service organisations will be able to license the 01Health platform which, until now, has underpinned the 01Health-owned specialist dental platforms 32Co and Aerox Health.

Built environment consultancy Contollo Group is accelerating its North West growth with a series of office moves, expansions and refurbishments across Manchester, Cheadle and Knutsford, including a major new presence in Manchester’s Spinningfields district.

Contollo Group moved into Spinningfields this week, after completing a deal for nearly 10,000 sq ft of fitted office space at XYZ until February 2032. JLL’s Manchester team advised on the sublet, with Contollo supported by Canning O’Neill.

The move brings three of the Group’s specialist consultancies; Abacus Cost Management, KAM Project Consultants and ESP together in the heart of Manchester’s business district, creating a flagship city‑centre hub for clients across the region.

Doctify – a platform for healthcare reviews and patient feedback – has launched in Saudi Arabia, entering a market where patient choice and transparency are becoming central to how care is accessed and chosen.

The launch comes at a pivotal moment for the Saudi Arabia healthcare sector. The country’s healthcare system is undergoing a structural shift, as care becomes more digital, more private and increasingly shaped by how patients choose where to go.

As part of Vision 2030’s Health Sector Transformation Program, the private sector is playing an increasingly important role in delivering care, while digital health adoption continues to accelerate.

Doctify gives patients access to verified reviews and peer-to-peer endorsements, helping them make more confident decisions about where to seek care. For healthcare providers, the platform offers structured, real-time patient feedback, supporting continuous improvement and stronger patient relationships.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

A major new organisation designed to strengthen West Yorkshire’s technology sector is being launched with backing from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Tech West Yorkshire will operate across Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Calderdale and Kirklees, bringing together technology businesses, universities, investors, entrepreneurs and skills providers under a single regional banner.

Its central aim is straightforward, to connect people and companies across the region more effectively and help build a stronger, more resilient tech ecosystem that supports economic growth throughout West Yorkshire.