UK Tech Startups Raise £103m Across Nine Deals
UK tech investment fell 72% to £102.95 million last week, spread across nine deals. The largest was AI firm Callosum's £73.5 million raise.
UK tech startups secured £102.95 million across nine funding rounds in the week of 17 to 21 August. According to data from UKTN, this represents a 72% week-on-week decrease in total investment volume.
AI software developer Callosum led the week's activity with a substantial £73.5 million seed round. The London-based company, founded in 2026, is building systems software for heterogeneous computing. Its technology is designed to match specific AI workloads with the most cost-effective and computationally efficient hardware models.
Key Funding Rounds
Climate tech firm Ampaire raised £14 million in a Series B round. The London company, established in 2017, develops hybrid-electric retrofit systems for commercial aircraft. Its technology aims to cut emissions, fuel use, and operating costs.
Edtech startup Medly AI secured £5.9 million in seed funding. Founded in 2025, the London-based firm is creating a personalised AI tutoring platform. It tailors learning to individual student styles to prepare them for GCSE and other school exams.
Deep tech company Oshen collected £3.65 million in seed investment. The Plymouth-based manufacturer, founded in 2022, produces fleets of autonomous, wind and solar-powered robotic vessels. These vessels capture real-time ocean data for clients including navies and scientific agencies.
Comparative Deal Data
The following table summarises the week's disclosed funding rounds.
| Company | Sector | Amount Raised | Round | Lead Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Callosum | AI | £73.5m | Seed | Atomico, Plural, DCVC, UK Sovereign AI Fund |
| Ampaire | Climate Tech | £14m | Series B | IAGi Ventures, Alaska Airlines, DiamondStream Partners |
| Medly AI | Edtech/AI | £5.9m | Seed | Felix Capital, Eka Ventures, Ada Ventures |
| Oshen | Deep Tech | £3.65m | Seed | Lunar Ventures, AlbionVC, Twin Track, Concept Ventures |
| Noggin HQ | Fintech | £2.3m | Seed | Blackfinch Ventures, Oxford Capital, Bethnal Green Ventures |
| Singular Photonics | Semiconductor | £1.6m | Seed | ACF Investors, Wren Capital, Cambridge Angels |
| RobotX | Agtech | £1m | Seed | British Design Fund, Innovate UK, Defra |
| HexSeed | Semiconductor | £600,000 | Seed | Carbon13, Net Zero Technology Centre, Vento |
| EcoNomad | Agtech | £400,000 | Seed | British Design Fund, Innovate UK, Beeches Group |
Supporting Innovation
Fintech startup Noggin HQ raised £2.3 million in seed funding. The Newcastle-based credit reference agency, founded in 2021, uses open-banking data to provide cashflow-based credit scoring for underserved consumers.
Semiconductor firm Singular Photonics gained £1.6 million in seed investment. The Edinburgh company develops advanced single-photon image sensors with on-chip computation for use in machine vision and robotics.
Agtech company RobotX secured £1 million in seed funding. The Colchester-based firm, founded in 2023, manufactures autonomous crop-handling robots offered under a Robotics-as-a-Service model to address farm labour shortages.
Aberdeen-based HexSeed Technology raised £600,000. The 2025-founded semiconductor startup is developing a process to transform captured CO₂ into diamond coatings for power chips, aiming to prevent overheating in AI data centres.
The week's smallest disclosed round was a £400,000 seed investment for agtech firm EcoNomad Solutions. The Harpenden-based company manufactures compact anaerobic digestion systems that let small farms convert waste into biogas and fertiliser.
