A Manchester-based AI-native company that streamlines operational workflows has passed five million cases processed for regulated firms in under three years – built entirely without a sales team, marketing function or paid acquisition. 

Saber was founded in January 2024 by Jakub Lenski and Mitchel Shephard after completing a one-off audit for a law firm. Tasked with auditing a 200,000-claim book by hand – a job estimated to take six weeks to complete 10% of – Saber produced a one-off automation workflow that processed the entire book in under three days. 

Saber has since evolved into a Manchester team of 32 – mostly engineers – and a product that saves 96.3% of time per case. Concerns over AI’s accuracy can be a barrier to adoption, making human oversight a key component of Saber’s design. 

FintechOS has raised £21 million in combined equity and debt financing from its current shareholder base.

The London-based agentic platform serves banks, insurers and other financial services companies across the United States and Europe.

The investment will be used to further set up the company’s expansion base in the United States, deepen its European client portfolio, and scale the delivery practice behind its AI-native platform.

The round follows a strong first half of 2026 for FintechOS, during which the company confirmed it had reached profitability while growing recurring revenue 40% year-on-year for the first half of 2026, driven in large part by 130% growth in the US market. 

Project Ventures, an independent early-stage venture capital firm rooted in the Imperial College London ecosystem, has announced the launch of its debut £5 million fund.

The fund will back pre-seed and seed startups at the intersection of DeepTech and AI who are either emerging from or connected to the Imperial College London ecosystem, with three investments already completed to-date.

Founded and led by Shahryar Barati, the firm’s alumni-powered model mirrors more established alumni-backed venture networks in the US and aims to close its debut fund by summer 2027.

InTouchNow has secured £2.3 million in seed funding to develop its AI voice agent technology for general practices and ease pressure on overstretched primary care NHS services.

The round was led by Ada Ventures with participation from Exceptional Ventures and Kadmos Capital.

This latest funding boost marks one of Ada Ventures’ largest seed cheques to date and the first venture capital investment into a primary care AI voice agent operating in the NHS.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

The outgoing CEO of Barratt Redrow plc is to join the board of online property portal Rightmove plc.

David Thomas has been the group chief executive of Barratt Redrow plc, the UK’s largest housebuilder, since 2015, having joined Barratt as group finance director in 2009. 

He led Barratt through its £2.5 billion merger with Redrow in 2024, and announced his retirement as group CEO in March 2026, stepping down from the role today but remaining with the business in an advisory capacity until March 2027. 

He will join Rightmove as a non-executive director from the start of next year. Meanwhile Rosemary Leith will also be appointed as a NED from the start of next month then become senior independent director at the beginning of 2027. 

The company also confirmed the retirements of Jacqueline de Rojas, current senior independent director, on 31st December 2026 and of Amit Tiwari, NED, on 30th September 2026.

Metris Energy, an AI‑native platform for managing energy assets at scale, has raised a $5m seed round led by PT1 Ventures, Octopus Ventures, AENU and Blackfinch Ventures.

The round saw participation from Plug and Play and Love Ventures.

The announcement comes alongside the launch of Metria AI: the company’s new AI interface which seamlessly executes complex tasks previously carried out manually by operations teams.

Launched in 2025, Metris began by solving a single, painful problem for solar portfolios: reconciling data scattered across inverters, meters, SCADA, CRMs, spreadsheets and finance tools into one clean, reliable record. That focus has since evolved into a broader ambition to become the unified data layer for the entire energy sector.

The North East Mayor Kim McGuinness is backing the region’s design industry, with £150,000 to boost the reach and impact of the Design in Everything programme.

Design in Everything is aiming to celebrate and support the North East’s growing design ecosystem, build new collaborations, connect communities and inspire action on the big challenges facing society. It brings together creative professionals, businesses, innovators, students, educators, community leaders and public sector changemakers to explore and celebrate the design across the North East.

Design in Everything is facilitated by Gateshead-based design innovation consultancy Edge Innovation. The programme is overseen by a steering group made up of the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, Newcastle University, Northumbria University, Newcastle College, Gateshead College, Design Network North, Gardiner Richardson, Layers Studio, E3 Design and Gateshead Council.

It includes an annual North East design week – taking place this year from 5th-9th October – smaller events throughout the year and work to connect designers to each other for learning and collaboration.

Author: Chris Maguire

Welsh technology firm de Novo Solutions has appointed Lynette Slater as its new chief executive, while founder Mark Sweeny has taken on the role of executive chairman.

Sweeny, a serial entrepreneur and part of BusinessCloud’s 2026 Founder 250 list, has grown de Novo Solutions to a team of 150 and into the fastest-growing tech firm in Wales.

Slater, who has more than 30 years of experience within insurance, financial services and software organisations, has previously worked at Logicwave, ICE InsureTech and Allianz.

She said: “I am delighted to be joining de Novo, and proud to have the opportunity to lead a company with such strong foundations. What has made de Novo successful is the expertise and commitment of its people. Together, we can build on what is already working and take the business into its next stage with confidence.

“We will build on the foundations created by Mark, the senior leadership team, and every person across de Novo, ensuring strong support for our teams, clear ways of working, and consistently better outcomes for clients.

“I am looking forward to getting to know the team, our clients, and our strategic partners over the coming weeks, and helping elevate de Novo to the next level of success.”

Sweeny, who previously sold Certus Solutions to Accenture, said it was time to pass the baton on but insisted he wouldn’t be ‘walking off into the sunset away from de Novo Solutions’ just yet.

The Northern VCTs have launched an offer for up to £30 million.

The VCTs have total net assets of £410 million and, in total, a portfolio of 58 companies.

Northern VCTs manager Mercia prides itself on a national footprint that helps it find and back entrepreneurs from across the UK. Over the five years to June 2025, rising interest rates and a slowdown in venture capital have taken its toll. The VCTs have delivered an average NAV total return of between 2.3% and 4.7%.

The VCT targets an annual dividend equal to 4.5% to 5.0% of NAV, not guaranteed.

Investors can apply from 30th September.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Behind the ready smile of Alex Craven lies a burning ambition to achieve something truly remarkable.

Leeds is officially the biggest tech cluster outside London, with 853 tech companies based in the city – more than any other local authority outside the capital.

However, while the likes of Cambridge, Manchester and Edinburgh can point to several unicorn companies – tech firms with a billion-dollar-plus valuation – Leeds has only one: Sky Betting & Gaming.

Should The Data City become the second, it would contain a certain irony: for it is co-founder and CEO Alex’s business that provides the company classification data itself.

I met Alex last night at the launch party for the 11th annual Leeds Digital Festival. Even in a room containing the great and the good of the Leeds tech scene, his infectious enthusiasm stood out.

That doesn’t mean it has always been rosy. “I sold my first business, Bloom, to Jaywing in 2016 and it was an absolute disaster,” he tells me for Founder Friday.

Bristol-founded startup stuDex is giving independent businesses a new way to reach the city’s large but fragmented student market.

The app, which launches today, connects verified university students with local businesses, societies, sports clubs, events and activities through one central app.

Since its pilot at UWE Bristol, the platform has grown to more than 1,200 registered users and 33 partners, with the founders now aiming to build a significant share of Bristol’s student population during the 2026/27 academic year.

The platform’s partners already include Mr Wolfs, Bristol Folk House and independent cafés Drizzle and Cafe 56, alongside university societies and sports clubs including Bristol Black Futures, University of Bristol Fencing Society, UWE Snowsports and UWE Vegan Society.

A filmmaker living with Hunter syndrome has launched a global online video editing platform.

After eight years creating content for international brands, Leeds-based Jake Logan has launched Banger Edits, a web app giving creators and businesses worldwide access to professional video editing without agency retainers. 

Jake was diagnosed with MPS II, commonly known as Hunter syndrome, at the age of 11. The rare inherited condition can cause progressive physical health problems and varies significantly from one person to another. 

The idea for Banger Edits came from a problem Jake repeatedly saw across the creative industry: businesses and creators were able to film content but struggled to edit it consistently. Traditional agency retainers could be expensive, freelance availability was unpredictable and managing feedback through email and messaging apps slowed projects down. 

“I have spent years seeing great footage sit on phones, cameras and hard drives because people either do not have time to edit it or cannot find somebody reliable,” says Jake. “Banger Edits was built to make that part simple. 

“You send us the footage, tell us what you want and get back a video that is ready to post.”

Author: Jonathan Symcox

A high-profile capital markets figure has returned to the board of boohoo group plc seven months after stepping down – and been named its chair.

Iain McDonald personally invested £3 million in a fundraise when leaving his role as a non-executive director amicably in February 2026, having spent nine years with the firm.  

Now, as the company which trades as Debenhams Group transitions from pure online retailer to a marketplace model, it has brought him back as chair.

It has also appointed Michael Stewart and Stephen Rothwell as independent non-executive directors, with immediate effect.

McDonald is an experienced figure in the markets and seen as the right man to guide the company in its next phase of growth following a turnaround. Tim Morris, the outgoing chair, is a lawyer by background and also well-regarded. The move is thought to be amicable.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

New York advertising technology giant Taboola has agreed the acquisition of UK rival Dianomi in a deal worth up to £27 million.

Dianomi – founded more than 20 years ago – listed in 2021 with a share price of 332.50 pence and hit a high of 485p that year. However it has been largely downhill since then: it had sunk as low as 12p earlier this year, and was recently sitting around 26p.

Earlier this month it said it had returned to top-line growth after reporting a 2% rise in first-half revenue to £13.4m, underpinned by widened partnerships with CNN News and Associated Press. Dianomi also signed up 67 new premium advertisers in the period, a 56% jump on the prior year, and heralded the launch of AI-powered tools. 

 

iGii, a DeepTech advanced materials company behind the proprietary carbon nanomaterial Gii, has raised £22.7 million in new funding to accelerate the commercialisation and industrial adoption of its technology. 

Grown rather than mined, Gii can perform across many different applications and industries, giving manufacturers a high-performing material platform from which to differentiate their next generation of products.

The round comprises an £11.7m Series B investment led by the Scottish National Investment Bank, with additional backing from PXN Ventures and Archangels, alongside £11m funding from Scottish Enterprise.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Revolut is exploring a dual listing in the US and UK which has been hailed as a “positive sign” for the London capital markets.

Nik Storonsky, founder of global FinTech founded and headquartered in London, had previously seemed set to snub its home city when it eventually goes public in a potential £100 billion IPO.

However he told French newspaper Les Echos that it is actively considering a dual listing, with the primary listing being in the US.

Admitting again that he “prefers” the US, he explained: “It’s a larger market. It includes institutional investors, hedge funds, fund managers and a considerable number of individual investors.

“So we have the choice between selling in a small market with few buyers, or in a gigantic market with a huge number of buyers who will compete fiercely for our shares. Therefore, yes, we prefer the United States.”

Manchester-based payments company Ryft has secured a £20 million Series B to support the next stage of its international growth.

The £20 million Series B, led by Gresham House Ventures, follows a period of rapid growth for Ryft. The business tripled its processing volume over the past 12 months and more than 6,500 businesses, including Epos Now, Chaiwalla, the Disasters Emergency Committee, Daytrip and Sprive are now using its payment system. 

The investment will support Ryft’s expansion across Europe and the US, while accelerating its product development and move upmarket.

Economic Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby said: “Ryft’s success is a vote of confidence in Manchester’s thriving fintech sector and shows how British businesses can start, scale and compete on the global stage.”

Godel Technologies has announced a major strategic transformation of its business as it responds to the accelerating impact of artificial intelligence on the software engineering and technology services industry.

The move will see the company evolve beyond the traditional software engineering services model on which it has built its business, and have a particular focus on the mid-market.

CEO Gareth Ainsworth explained: “AI isn’t simply another technology cycle. It is beginning to change the economics of our industry. For technology businesses like ours, there is a choice. We can use AI to make the traditional services model incrementally more efficient, or we can rethink what that model should look like altogether.

“We have chosen to rethink it. This is therefore much more than adding AI capabilities to our existing business. We are repositioning Godel around how we believe technology services will need to be delivered in an AI-native world.

“We aren’t walking away from engineering. Quite the opposite. We are asking what world-class engineering looks like when AI becomes fundamental to how technology is understood, built and improved. We believe the answer will look very different from the traditional model.

“The businesses that recognise that early have an extraordinary opportunity. In the next technology cycle, being bigger won’t necessarily make you faster. And when technology is moving at this speed, fast eats slow.”

Author: Jonathan Symcox

All boohoo group plc’s brands have returned to growth after it reported its trading update for the six months ended 31st August 2026.

Performance was most notable across the Debenhams brand, where gross merchandise value grew 14.1% to represent 41% of group GMV – but growth was also reported at boohoo, Pretty Little Thing and Karen Millen.

Adjusted EBITDA at the group was up 14%, with reported EBITDA up 731% and GMV up 1.8%.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

The recovery has continued at Bytes Technology Group plc after it upgraded guidance for its FY27 results.

Shares in Bytes – a software, security, AI and cloud services specialist based in Surrey – had climbed 13% today by 1pm to 454 pence, passing a market cap of £1 billion.

It has been a remarkable recovery from Bytes, which six months ago saw its share price drop as low as 253p after a disappointing trading update and the departure of MD Jack Watson ‘by mutual consent’.

Shares are now up 52% in six months, although they remain below the 2024 high water mark of 657p – achieved before an authorised trading scandal concerning former CEO Neil Murphy sent the London-listed stock plummeting.