Octopus Ventures

"Most retail investors have two options to build wealth: settle for passive portfolios or try to time the market and pick stocks and crypto themselves without access to the training, tools and information needed to do this effectively. This funding will allow us to build a modern app-based investment service that gives customers the same professional expertise that only high-net-worth individuals are used to. We’ve already got a stellar team in place, and we’re now excited to be working towards regulatory approval to launch over the coming months."

"In a world in which volatility and complexity are increasing and the nature of work and talent are drastically changing, it is critical that organisations develop the capability and capacity to think and act differently when it comes to change and innovation"

"The entire team is very excited about the opportunity that this financing has given us to develop Unlikely AI and its technology, and we are delighted to partner with our new investors."

"KatKin began when Nikki and I questioned what we were feeding our cats Molly, Kiki and Columbus. The more we asked, the more horrified we were at what we found. So we gathered an ambitious, world-class team of people willing to stick their noses up at the cat food chain. Right now, mainstream cat food is stale – packed with cheap ingredients, hard-to-understand labels and fluffed-up claims. It’s difficult to find what’s best and customers are frustrated. In contrast, the demand is huge for KatKin – every six months we’re doubling in size and customer base. We’re grateful to Lopo and Cecile at Verlinvest and Andrew at Perwyn, and Kreos as well as for the continued support from Octopus and our angel investors. This support doesn’t just invest in our business but also the health and happiness of cats and cat parents."

"Tinnitus currently affects around 50 million people in the US and UK, of which 20 million have intrusive tinnitus, a condition that can severely impact an individual’s life. For many this is a condition that they have little choice but to ‘learn to live with’. The Oto team, however, refuse to habituate and instead are providing a 10x cheaper and more convenient way to help people manage their condition. Though they probably don’t complain, we all know someone who suffers from tinnitus and have seen the effects it can have on an individual’s life. This is one of the reasons we wanted to support George, Ed and the entire Oto team as they tackle the market and provide an innovative digital solution to a long overlooked issue"

"Light has a huge part to play in the future of quantum computing as an effective, scalable resource. Our mission is to put photonic systems in the hands of users today so that we deliver value in the short as well as long term,"

"People retain up to 70% more information when watching videos dubbed in their native language. With truly emotive cross-lingual AI dubbing, we can tackle all forms of content, making video and audio more accessible and enjoyable for everyone. This funding will allow us to double down on our promising research and break into new content categories."

"Merge's vision is to build the infrastructure necessary to allow crypto businesses to operate without fear of shutdown by regulators or third-party risk teams. We're excited to back them as they build that and, ultimately, unleash even more innovation in crypto and defi."

"Foodsteps has been helping dozens of the UK’s most ambitious food companies to reduce their environmental footprint through our farm to fork data platform and labels. However we need to do so much more. This funding will help us bring in the brightest minds in data and technology to accelerate our work. We’re also looking for food businesses and partners that are hungry to accelerate change and reduce their environmental impacts. Our commitment is to be a force for transparency, collaboration and ambition in the drive to fix our food system."

"Better menopause care is crucial in the fight for gender equity in the workplace,"

"LifeScore is creating music for the Metaverse, and is building the future of creative collaboration bridging man and machine."

"With investor demand at an all-time high, there is a lot of noise around how institutions overcome the traditional barriers to private markets. We’ve taken a different approach, creating white-labelled technology that acts as the digital building blocks on which firms can scale their propositions. The growth funding from Octopus Ventures validates this approach and strengthens our plan of stimulating greater connectivity between financial institutions, capital raisers and investors."

"We’re delighted to have such great support from the VC community as well as ‘the Crowd’. There’s significant momentum behind revolutionising the life insurance space, but there is also a much broader opportunity for our deathwish platform which allows people to plan exactly what they want to happen when they die. We’re here to help our customers think about how they want to be remembered and enable those wishes to be tied into their life insurance plan, to give it a real meaning."

"Construction is one of the world economy’s largest sectors, worth £7 trillion. McKinsey estimates that if the productivity levels were to catch up with the progress made by other sectors over the past 20 years or with the total economy, it could increase the industry’s value added by £1.2 trillion a year. We’re delighted to be backing such a formidable founder who is taking on a giant industry and we’re excited by BKwai because it is giving the industry the tools it needs to meet its potential. Not only is it helping companies optimise their builds and assets, it is also moving the industry to more green, sustainable practices that have long-term impact."

"The main hurdle for many parents to effectively save for their children’s future is a lack of awareness about what they can do and a lack of tools that help them do that easily. The money we’ve raised today is going to give us the opportunity to change this, providing better education to families and building financial products and tools solely designed for families."

"Touch is the final frontier for robot interaction and entry into physical environments – enabling true dexterity and safety. We have taken on this challenge by developing a ‘full-stack’ solution; retrofittable e-skin that gathers the data, software to make sense of it, and integration to ensure it works in demanding applications – from grocery grasping to telerobotics in extreme environments. Octopus’ expertise propel us to achieve e-skin’s full potential and create a step-change in robotics."

"Automata’s robotic capabilities are truly the first of its kind and the company has combined this with deep expertise in automation and a highly effective business model which has created a leading-edge over competitors. Automata Labs accelerates human ingenuity, empowering labs, and scientists, to achieve consistent results faster, on a greater scale, and to ultimately upscale their ambitions. We are delighted to have led this financing round as Automata represented exactly the type of highly innovative company we invest in and support. We are excited for Automata’s next steps, both within the life sciences industry, and beyond."

"We are thrilled to have our new investors on board. The Vitesse team have built an incredibly strong and highly regulated platform, supported by our own global payment network and treasury capability, and we have successfully shown the value of these assets to our fast-expanding customer base. We have strong ambitions to grow and to continue our success with a strong focus on the insurance market."

"I am delighted to continue our journey with Octopus Ventures which from the outset, shared our vision to help customers digitise and make fairer, more effective decisions about talent. At a time when organisations are facing significant talent challenges, whether that’s COVID, skills shortages, the impact of technology on jobs or upskilling the workforce, it’s clear that legacy approaches are no longer fit for purpose. Our enterprise assessment platform helps customers make better decisions about talent without compromising fairness, efficiency or candidate experience."

"With third-party data disappearing, paid social delivering diminishing returns and consumers increasingly overwhelmed by endless brand advertising, our technology puts advocacy at the heart of marketing to reconnect marketers and consumers. The most successful brands are realising how this can drive growth, increasing customer acquisition and returns across the marketing activity spectrum."

"We believe that information should sit at the very heart of an agent’s prospecting, marketing, and customer service and it was this vision that Octopus shared with us immediately. Our unique way of interpreting and processing data into usable information with straightforward tools allows estate agents to support their clients with finding their dream homes in record time. And that results in more instructions and many more satisfied clients. This major investment is a key stage in our exciting journey towards transforming the way estate agents do business."

"Our mission as a company is to enable widespread patient access to life saving cell and gene therapies. One of the biggest obstacles to achieving this is cell and gene therapy manufacturing processes that are too expensive, too highly variable and too low throughput. Our team is focused on the urgent need to enhance the ability of cell and gene therapy developers, CDMOs and Academic Medical Centers to deliver these therapies to as many patients as possible as quickly as possible,"

"Lapse doesn’t let you review, edit, or curate photos in ways that other platforms encourage. The focus is on enjoying the moment, rather than trying to showcase it. People are taking and sharing photos on Lapse of things they never would have otherwise. By removing the pressure for perfection and the mental barrier when we review photos, a whole new world of more ‘real’ photos gets unlocked,"

"I am absolutely convinced that the future of fashion is circular, and we are proud to be at the forefront of this accelerating consumer shift. In the UK alone, customers spend £2.7 billion on outfits they wear just once while more than $400 billion of clothing is discarded across the globe each year – another shocking statistic. As a millennial, I’m part of a generation that loves shared ownership. We’ve all witnessed the rise of disruptive tech-first businesses such as Airbnb and Uber and if we can rent our houses and cars, why not our wardrobes."

"We have come a long way as a company with phenomenal progress in the last two years taking the company far beyond its original sync-based business. We now provide the backbone for any modern media company, encompassing every part of their software requirements. We are excited to be working with Octopus with their focus and commitment on a long-term strategy in the company, funding not only this current round but also building further finance rounds as music, media and broadcast growth continues to explode, presenting a wealth of opportunities"

"The whole team is excited to take the next step to further support organisations in driving value from their data, so that they can achieve their business goals. The investment from Octopus Ventures is a fantastic affirmation of the scale of impact we’ve been able to deliver to our customers. We look forward to working with Octopus to further develop our product and expand into new markets."

"Publishers are the foundation of the web, and the relationship they have with their users is the backbone of digital advertising,"

"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."

"In the five years that we have been cooking, we’ve seen the demand for plant-based food explode. We’ve got a tonne of exciting plans to bring the movement to even more people’s kitchens, and this investment will allow us to do just that."

"At Elliptic, we help financial institutions, from crypto exchanges to the world's leading banks, embrace cryptoassets more safely. This fundraising round is an endorsement of the opportunity for cryptoassets in the financial industry – and our absolutely critical role in the ecosystem."

"I’m very excited about the insurance proposition that Megan and Ana are creating for online sellers. It’s hugely relevant to the world we live in now."

"This is a huge milestone in the evolution of Turtl. Content automation platforms need to be accessible and easy to use across an organisation – from marketing to sales, and communications to recruitment -with non-designers having the power to make design-quality content. Our mission is to ensure enterprise content is timely, relevant and engaging for all – and this funding is crucial for us to progress to the next stage of that journey."

"As software rapidly changes how financial services are delivered, businesses are now confronted with an ever-expanding digital financial supply chain they can use to adapt to changing customer requirements. The Integrated Finance platform allows fintechs to speed up innovation, by simplifying connections to all of their banks and suppliers to a single API."

"OLIO has grown five times over the last year, reflecting a step change that’s taken place as businesses and citizens look to be more sustainable and connect with their local communities. We’re beyond thrilled to have raised this capital from a brilliant set of investors who are backing our vision of reinventing consumption for more than one billion OLIOers by 2030. We have this enormous ambition because humanity cannot continue to puzzle over how to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees and feed a population of 10 billion – whilst continuing to throw away one third of the food we produce, and consuming as if we have 1.75 planets. In solving these twin problems we aim to build one of the most transformational companies of our generation."

"We’re proud to be working with some of the biggest brands in the world. Modern businesses are complex and operate in an ever-changing world. It’s becoming impossible to run them without AI, which is enabling them to make consistently great decisions, faster and more accurately than ever before."

"We are incredibly excited to support Comma’s vision"

"Elvie has already revolutionized every category it has entered – but we know that we have barely scratched the surface of what is possible for women’s tech."

"We live in a society that’s created an unsustainable pattern of living where workplace culture is synonymous with burnout and stress is seen as a necessary by-product of success. The past 18 months have put a much-needed spotlight on the terrible impact of stress on our health, and for the first time, employers are taking notice."

"We are delighted to be partnering with Collectiv to help achieve our sustainability objectives, whilst also delivering material savings. Their innovative approach to supply chain fits well with our vision to be London’s leading boutique restaurant group and enables us to meet the growing customer demand for greater quality and traceability."

"The subscription economy is rapidly transforming the way we access products and services – yet the smartphone, an individual’s most valuable device, is still locked behind a bundled, ownership-based model. This means most people are trapped in a buy-and-dispose cycle, with a steep financial and environmental costs."

"Given the strong demographic growth in the over 50s across developed countries, we are constantly surprised that most venture funding continues to flow into business models targeting millennials and Gen Z – at the exclusion of support and services for midlifers. With this funding round, we are delighted to bring on board some fantastic new investors who understand the seismic demographic shift underway in society and the opportunity this presents to better serve an under-represented audience."

"There’s a huge commercial opportunity for businesses that demonstrate strong sustainability credentials but for most, it’s extremely difficult to achieve. Minimum is a game-changer because it embeds real-time emissions tracking directly into the business itself, and businesses can neutralize the emissions they are actually accountable for, rather than an arbitrary amount. Not only can this help them make their operations carbon neutral by default, but armed with an understanding of their carbon impact companies can provide much-needed carbon transparency to their customers and are better equipped to continuously improve the sustainability of their processes."

"Today, we’ve developed the world’s first Engineering-Grade AR solution helping construction teams identify errors in real-time, but really that’s just the start of our journey. The next phase is Assisted Reality, where our spatial computing technology will have the intelligence to automatically detect and report issues in the field. And ultimately, the goal is builders building from holograms. Our vision of developing world changing products aligns with Octopus Ventures’ mission of investing in companies that are powering the next industrial revolution. We look forward to building history."

"This investment recognises that with powerful real-time software solutions underpinning our emerging green energy systems, tackling the world’s greatest threat of climate change can also become the world’s greatest commercial opportunity. Barclays shares our vision and has a broad customer base in the UK and internationally, which includes many energy businesses. I am looking forward to working with them to help achieve our ambitious goals."

"From the beginning of Zapnito, we have focused on enabling brands to create trusted communities. Until now our growth has been bootstrapped through self-funding and Angel investment. In Octopus we have found the right partner to allow us to further grow the Zapnito platform for larger enterprises and expansion into new markets. We’re incredibly proud to join their investment portfolio, and look forward to working with them to advance our mission of expert communities and collective intelligence."

"Today there are more people streaming more video than ever before. Our customers recognize both the commercial opportunity and their social responsibility to optimize their video delivery pipelines with our pioneering technology. We are excited to partner with Octopus Ventures to tap into their network and expertize in building world-changing companies."

"Legl is saving at least 1 hour per transaction, and it’s reducing the overall time to complete a conveyancing transaction by 1-2 weeks."

"Wefarm is building the definitive platform and network for the world's biggest vertical,"

"The market’s appetite for open payments accelerated dramatically last year as more merchants and payment providers have tuned into the cost and efficiency gains that they offer,"

"We’ve been talking about the potential of drones to radically transform all sorts of industries for a long time now, as the number of applications is huge, but for it to be viable, we need a system that can manage drones and, eventually, other types of unmanned air traffic at scale."

"Consumers wanting to shop sustainably should not have to compromise with higher prices or greater inconveniences. We’re really proud to be at the forefront of this technology-enabled disruption that is reshaping consumer behaviour and retail. Through the power of the sharing economy, Whirli has created a winning proposition for parents and for the planet, and we are delighted to welcome Octopus Ventures and MMC Ventures on our journey."

"Orbex is an impressive UK company which is developing a strongly differentiated and innovative launch solution for the rapidly-growing small satellite market. In Europe, they are a recognized leader with an experienced team, substantial institutional support, a growing customer list and patented technology. The private space sector remains a key future industry for both Scottish and UK governments and we’re very excited to be backing one of the most compelling examples of this evolving sector,"

"Closing a significant Series A round, during these uncertain times, further validates Ori’s disruptive approach to fully automating cell and gene therapy manufacturing to increase throughput, improve quality, and decrease costs,"

"Edgify allows companies, from any industry, to train complete deep learning and machine learning models, directly on their own edge devices. This mitigates the need for any data transfer to the Cloud and also grants them close to perfect accuracy every time, and without the need to retrain centrally."

"To receive this investment in the current climate is testament to the relevance of ThoughtRiver’s technology, when across the globe, businesses are looking to do more with less."

"We see a huge amount of potential in launching TaxScouts into Spain. Naturally, the weather and the wine were considered when picking the market, but having successfully built a solution for one of the trickiest tax systems in Europe, we are confident that we can deliver another great product for Spain’s complex tax structure. The market is double that of the UK, and this is the first step to us building a Pan-European tax service. We will build the go-to solution for anyone across Europe to easily file their tax return regardless of its complexity. This investment will enable us to quickly scale up a team to support our new Country Manager in Madrid, and launch other new products in the UK."

"We’re really excited to announce this new milestone, which will help us to continue the momentum of helping publishers to understand and monetize their audiences. It’s our mission to reset advertising and to protect privacy while making data useful, and this funding will help us towards working for this goal."

"We are delighted to be working with Octopus Ventures to continue our growth path. The endorsement of one of Europe’s leading VCs provides hugely valued market validation to the work Vitesse has done and continues to do. Their crucial support will help us to keep drivingcompany expansion and continue to transform the payments market."

"Even before the crisis, SLAMcore was engaged in many conversations with companies – big and small – who needed a better way to solve spatial intelligence issues in robotics. Especially across sectors such as drones, robots, and AR/VR, the coronavirus pandemic has lit the touch-paper and we are primed to meet exploding demand. In the past few weeks alone, we have seen a huge spike in enquiries as robotics companies want fast solutions to get their robots to market sooner."

"We’re delighted to close this round with the full support of our investors. This investment gives us the opportunity to look ahead, create more jobs and provide the insurance pet owners care about for years to come."

"We are very excited to continue to support Alex and the team at Cazoo. The pace of what they’ve achieved and the level of adoption they’ve seen in the first few months since launch is remarkable. With almost 8 million used car transactions a year in the UK, there is a clear opportunity to provide a more convenient way to buy a car and shift part of the market online."

"Junk mail through our letterboxes has now been replaced by a deluge of messages and notifications, whether through email, text, WhatsApp, Instagram or a dozen other channels,"

"We’re delighted e.ventures have joined Octopus Ventures in backing our vision. There’s real momentum behind genuinely disruptive insurance propositions, but we see the opportunity for a much broader platform creating different death services, as well as disrupting the world of insurance. Distribution is key for us, we began life as a direct-to-consumer proposition but there’s a big opportunity for us to distribute our products through other brands. We’re pleased to have proved that our product serves the market and now we’re focusing on scaling the business. This funding will help us to expand our technology and create additional products including digital wills, accidental death and critical illness cover. We’re also able to grow our team and relocate to bigger business premises."

"We are delighted to have closed this further funding round, giving us significant firepower to fuel our growth after we launch later this year. We are assembling a world-class team and looking forward to transforming the used car market by delivering UK consumers the best car buying experience in terms of selection, value, quality and convenience."

"Unmade has already seen rapid growth this year, with its recent teamwear launch proving a resounding success, and we expect to see this continue as the company further develops its on-demand supply chain offering. We are delighted to be joining Unmade at such a crucial time in its journey and look forward to working with this fantastic team."

"Developers are struggling to cope with the need for trusted solutions for cybersecurity and functional safety. UltraSoC is uniquely able to provide such features at the fundamental hardware level. eCAPITAL and Seraphim add sector-specific focus and expertise in cybersecurity and in the aerospace ecosystem, where functional safety and reliability are paramount. I’m delighted to have secured their support alongside our existing major investors who have recommitted in this latest funding round."

"The next generation of young people want an experience the fashion industry is struggling to provide. They want authenticity and to set their own trends. They’re influenced by real people. They want choice and individuality, the ability to buy on demand and sell on with ease. At the same time, they want to reduce waste. Depop is set up to meet these changing demands. We exist to empower the next generation to transform fashion."

"Data analytics is becoming an integral part of every industry and the capital markets are no different. We will soon be at a position where it is a prerequisite for performance in the markets. This presents a huge opportunity for Mosaic Smart Data, which has built a platform which sets the gold standard for capital markets analytics. We are thrilled to be part of Mosaic Smart Data’s journey."

"Most rental platforms are trying to get as many people as possible to use their site. We are clearly targeting a highly discerning group of affluent professionals that live in global megacities, love to travel and value great design, quality and locations,"

"I’m delighted to announce this investment in my latest venture, Cazoo, and am very excited by the opportunity to transform the used car buying experience, which suffers from poor satisfaction and convenience and is failing to meet the needs of consumers. Buying a car should be no different to buying any other product online today."