Robert brings startup and board experience from insurtech and financial ventures, including co-founding Insurtech Gateway and holding directorships at By Miles and The Lettings Hub. He currently serves as a non-executive director at BondAval and maintains advisory and observer roles across the sector.
The Series A round was led by Talis Capital to support team expansion and global growth.
"When we first established the business less than 2 years ago, we could only imagine how quickly the market would respond to our technology-led approach for payment security. We are honoured by the confidence shown by our existing investors and our new investors and the validation from our best in class clients. We look forward to increasing access to more favourable financial security for all parties involved in B2B credit transactions and demonstrating more applications for our MicroBonds."
The seed round was led by Seraphim Space to support the development of new commodity risk insurance products.
"Welcome to Insurtech Gateway ChAI. Industrial supply chains face increasing price volatility in commodities with the majority unable to access hedging tools. ChAI solves this problem through a smart price protection solution backed by insurance. We are delighted to help you prove out and scale this model. We were really impressed by ChAI’s deep data insights into market and pricing dynamics."
The seed round was co-led by Insurtech Gateway and AV8 Ventures to support the launch of new insurance products for chronic conditions.
"Insurtech Gateway and AV8 Ventures are the ideal partners for Bluezone Insurance; their deep industry expertise, insurance network and track record of de-risking early-stage insurtech businesses from regulatory approvals and insurance capacity clearly differentiates them from other seed stage funds. Collaborating with them will accelerate our process of launching a product into the market and achieving the milestones required for the next investment round. During our fundraising journey, they provided us with ample support, progressed quickly and made introductions to impactful angels and excellent co-investors."
Buoyant Ventures led the Series A round to fund international expansion and close the flood protection gap.
"This investment is an endorsement of our parametric cover and how we’re using it to solve real-world issues. The group of investors for the round couldn’t be better tailored to supporting our efforts in solving the issues around underinsurance in the face of climate change."
Octopus Ventures led the seed round to support international expansion and platform development.
"We envision a world where the size of a business is no longer an inhibitor to it achieving its ultimate goals. We’re building the infrastructure to give businesses of any shape and size access to the most efficient forms of capital in real time. This funding round is yet another great point of validation for BondAval. The interest and support of all our investors – funds and angels alike – is rewarding in the fact that they all see the opportunity ahead of us. The capital raised will help us to continue hiring the best talent available. I’m proud of what this team has accomplished already and excited for the future."
The seed follow on round was led by NFX with participation from existing investors.
"We see NFX's investment in Collective as a major vote of confidence in our ability to solve the protection gap problem for tens of millions of independent workers across the UK and Europe."
Insurtech Gateway led the pre-seed round for the B2B insurance platform, with backing from True Sight Partners and angel investors.
"The gulf between corporates and independent retailers trying to secure credit terms is vast and, in our opinion, unfair. Our vision at BondAval is to redress this balance, allowing independent retailers to leverage investment grade security. Their word – our bond. To achieve this vision, we are excited to partner with our new investor shareholders, led by Insurtech Gateway.. They understand the value we can bring by applying digital first propositions to the world of B2B insurance."
XBTO led the seed round to support pilot programmes and regulatory preparations for Nayms.
"This pilot represents a small but significant milestone for Nayms as we move into 2021 with accelerating traction. It is our belief that the problem of scaling insurance protection for the digital asset space will be solved through a collaboration between regulated underwriters/brokers and capital markets. Nayms is building the infrastructure to facilitate this collaboration."
The seven-figure equity round was led by Insurtech Gateway with backing from the Development Bank of Wales.
"Coincover helps crypto businesses to address the security concerns of the cautious investor and delivers the trust mark they need to stand out in a crowded and wary market. We are the only company in the world with a security product that is backed by Lloyds of London, providing protection from cryptocurrency theft at the individual level and an opportunity to maximise business revenue by enabling our partners to build systems that creates strong trust with their clients."
Crowdcube led the follow-on investment round, with additional backing from Insurtech Gateway, Finance Durham Fund, and the North East Development Capital Fund.
"Raising investment is one of the most challenging aspects of running a startup, and we’re delighted to have achieved this £1.2m raise with the continued support of Maven and with further investment from the crowd. We’re also thrilled to welcome Insurtech Gateway to the honcho family. As specialists in our sector they will bring an immense amount of support to honcho as we enter our next phase of growth. Insurtech Gateway’s expertise across the sector extends from technological capabilities to expertise on products and consumer acquisition, and we’re looking forward to working with them."
The seed round was led by Stride.VC to support growth and product offerings for gig platforms.
"There are six million self-employed workers in the UK, which includes both higher-paid freelancers and gig economy platform workers. Yet, neither group typically has a safety net – no holiday pay, no family leave, no mental health support, not even paid sick days. We are building Collective Benefits so that the gig economy workers are covered by the same protections typically reserved for full-time employees."
