Avatar photoJames O'Brien

James is a London-based technology journalist covering the UK and Irish startup scenes. He specialises in fintech, AI and healthtech, tracking the deals, founders and investors driving innovation across Britain and Ireland's dynamic and internationally connected tech hubs.

London-based geoSurge secures €10 million seed funding to advance AI brand representation technology

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geoSurge, a UK-based DeepTech AI company, raised €10 million in a Seed round led by AlbionVC to expand its teams, infrastructure, and Corpus Engineering discipline. The funding aims to help brands understand and influence their representation in AI-generated outputs.

London Fintech Mdotm Secures $27 Million to Expand AI-Powered Wealth Management Platform

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Mdotm, a London-based fintech firm using AI to manage investment portfolios, secured $27 million in funding led by Expedition Growth Capital. The company serves over 60 financial institutions globally and plans to expand its AI platform Sphere, which supports $100 billion in assets under management.

UK Sovereign Intelligence Platform StirlingX Secures $20M Series A Funding

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StirlingX, a British data intelligence company, has raised $20 million in a Series A round led by Ventura Capital and RCM Private Markets Master Fund. The funding follows a $11 million Seed round and aims to expand the company’s sovereign intelligence platform, which operates in critical national infrastructure and defense environments.

UK AI Tender Platform BidScript Secures $800,000 in Pre-Seed Funding

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BidScript, an AI-native tender management platform, has raised $800,000 in a funding round led by NPIF II – PXN Equity Finance and SFC Capital, bringing total pre-seed funding to over $1 million. The platform addresses inefficiencies in public and private sector tendering using AI, with early customers reporting up to 50% improvements in bid win rates.

SumUp Launches Consumer Bank Accounts With 5% Cashback to Deepen Merchant Ecosystem

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SumUp, a fintech focused on small business payments, has launched consumer bank accounts offering 5% cashback on purchases at its merchant network. The product aims to create a two-sided incentive system where consumers earn rewards while merchants receive zero transaction fees. The service is initially available in the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, with plans to expand to all 38 of SumUp’s markets.

Irish HR Platform HR Duo Secures €1.6 Million to Accelerate UK Expansion

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HR Duo, an Irish HR platform for SMEs with frontline workforces, raised €1.6 million led by Puma Growth Partners and Enterprise Ireland to expand in the UK and scale its SaaS infrastructure. The funding supports targeting a €500-700 million SME HRTech market, with plans to achieve 41% ARR growth in 2026.