Old College Capital is the in-house venture investment fund of the University of Edinburgh supporting high-growth, early-stage university-associated businesses.
The seed round was led by IQ Capital with participation from several specialist energy and deep-tech investors.
"Working through a pandemic, scaling what was just an idea to fully functioning devices in less than three years, shows not only our team’s skill and dedication but the conviction of our network that IONATE is a key technology for the energy transition. With visionary experts from deep-tech venture capital, the utility sector, and academia in this round, we could not have chosen more strategic partners for achieving IONATE’s huge potential. I’m very excited for the next chapter and to work side-by-side with our investors and partners on what promises to be a time of extraordinary development and growth."
The TRICAPITAL-led round will fund team expansion and sector diversification for the Edinburgh fintech.
"In the new world, AI can be adopted throughout the customer journey, driving new insight, significant efficiency gains and better protecting the vulnerable. It’s a win-win situation. By using AI to help automate processes like quality assurance and risk monitoring, material cost reductions can be achieved. At the same time, companies gain targeted insights on customer experience and training opportunities for customer-facing staff."
EMV Capital led the pre-series A round to support product development and partnership activities in 5G and satellite communications.
"We are very pleased to have supportive investors who understand the value of semiconductor-based hardware. This funding will be used to complete the development of our core RF technology platform. It will also support our activities with an ecosystem of corporate partners who share Sofant’s belief that RF MEMS will disrupt the market for high frequency SatCom and 5G antenna applications. It is a very exciting time for Sofant, and we look forward to working with our partners to change the way high frequency antenna systems are designed and built."
The financing round was supported by Equity Gap, Scottish Investment Bank, Old College Capital and Hillhouse Group.
"MiAlgae has essentially taken a by-product from one industry and turned it into a solution for another industry. Through the application of biotechnology, MiAlgae is finding solutions to feed the world’s population, and with the global aquaculture industry set to double in size in the next ten years, this is a very promising business indeed."
The funding round was led by Mercia to support pre-clinical testing and manufacturing as the company prepares for clinical trials.
"Our goal is to bring much-needed improvement to the lives of three million dialysis patients. This investment allows us to take a big step towards this, and we are delighted to have won the backing of a consortium of smart, well-funded investors."
