A Hat-trick of Raises for Edinburgh Tech Startups

Welcome to the latest edition of the DIGIT Tech News Roundup.??

In this week’s newsletter we will cover some of our top-trending tech news stories, features and op-eds from the week beginning 15th August.

Fintech Summit 2022?

Our next conference is the Fintech Summit, held live and in-person at Edinburgh’s Dynamic Earth on 15th September.??

Now in its ninth year, the Fintech Summit is Scotland’s largest annual gathering for financial technology professionals, providing an opportunity to reconnect with industry peers, build new relationships and explore the latest developments across the sector.??

To secure your free place at the Summit, please visit: www.fintech-summit.co.uk??

DIGIT’s top-trending stories?

Edinburgh deep tech startup raises ￡3.3 million??

Edinburgh-based ‘deep tech’ energy startup, IONATE, has successfully raised ￡3.3 million in funding.?

Founded in 2019 by CEO Matthew Williams, the firm aims to resolve some of the key power quality issues associated with energy decarbonisation.?

The finance round included investment from the University of Edinburgh’s venture fund, Old College Capital, and was led by deep-tech investor IQ Capital.?

Additional support was pledged by Smartworks, cleantech impact VC Cycle Group, and deep-tech climate investor Zero Carbon Capital.?

Read more.??

Smplicare secures ￡750k for research into elderly healthcare?

Healthtech startup Smplicare has secured ￡750k in funding to explore how wearable technologies can help predict the risk of falls among the elderly.?

Provided by UKRI and a host of private investors, the funding will enable Smplicare to embark on one of the UK’s largest research projects involving AI, wearables and older adults.?

As part of the study, 300 individuals over 55 years old with a history of falls will be given a mainstream wearable device, such as Fitbit, Garmin or Polar. Using activity data from the wearable devices, Smplicare will create an AI-powered algorithm that can predict the likelihood of a future fall.?

Read more.??

Edinburgh biotech startup bags ￡2.3 million?

Biotech startup MiAlgae has received ￡2.3 million of investment following a successful funding round.?

The funding round was led by the Ascension-managed Conduit Impact Fund, which invested ￡900k, while new investor SIS Ventures supplied ￡350k.?

The investment boost will enable the company to accelerate its latest stage of growth. The firm said it plans to develop a commercial demonstrator facility near Stirling and create 10 new posts – including a head of engineering and commercial director.??

Read more.??

R3-IoT completes fresh rebrand?

Satellite connectivity scale-up R3-IoT has announced a full rebrand as Krucial.??

As part of the rebrand, the Glasgow-based firm has completed a full overhaul of the previous name, logo and website.?

Krucial said the change seeks to foster closer alignment with its core offering. The firm provides critical access to data intelligence in any location or situation,??

Read more.??

AND Digital welcomes new starts??

Tech consultancy AND Digital has welcomed five new starts as part of its graduate software development and business apprenticeships programme.?

Working alongside the University of Strathclyde and Glasgow Caledonian University, AND Digital advertised externally to attract interest from four young people excited to gain entry level positions into the tech industry.?

Each candidate completed a three-round process to secure the funded and paid-for positions which include working at AND Digital four days and attending university one day each week.?

Read more.??

Scots told to watch out for cost-of-living scams?

Scots are being warned to keep an eye out for new cost-of-living scams as national campaign ScamWatch Fortnight 2022 gets underway.?

‘Read Between the Li(n)es’ is a campaign looking to highlight the importance of remaining vigilant as fraudsters are increasingly using emails, texts, and social media to target users of all ages.?

With the current rise in energy bills high on the news agenda, cost-of-living scams have increased dramatically. Popular scams include fake discounts on prepayment meters and bogus offers of energy or HMRC rebates.?

Read more.??

Check out our latest long reads?

How can tech help solve the global food crisis??

As the climate crisis begins to impact countries globally, and fundamentally alter how food is grown and stored, humanity’s food concerns continue to become more complex.?

Ifeyinwa Kanu, founder of food sustainability company IntelliDigest, spoke to DIGIT about the global food crisis, Ukraine, climate change, and how tech could help turn the tables.?

Read more.??

Albert King reflects on his time as Scottish Government CDO?

Albert King, the Scottish Government’s Chief Data Officer, is set to step down after more than two years in the role.?

Having played a key role in steering the Scottish Government’s data ambitions, King spoke to DIGIT about how the use of data has evolved in recent years - and where it is heading.?

Read more.??

NFT art offers new avenues for creativity – and cash?

NFT art has surged in popularity over the last two and half years, with some works selling for millions of dollars. And this explosion means new avenues for creativity – and potential revenue streams – are emerging for artists.??

DIGIT’s Ross Kelly caught up with crypto artist Trevor Jones to discuss the evolution – and future – of the thriving NFT art community.??

Read more.??

DIGIT Events | Join us in-person!?

We understand the last two years has introduced new ways of working and coming back to in-person events may need a little more time to plan.?

So, we’ve released our full event calendar for 2022 to help you plan around work and other commitments to ensure you can join us.?