Newsletter: VC Breakfast Club

/deals

🔌 Believ has secured £300M to install 30,000 public EV charge points across the UK. Backed by Liberty Global, Zouk Capital, and major banks, the investment accelerates the UK’s EV infrastructure rollout, targeting underserved areas and on-street locations.

🌍 Treefera has raised $30M Series B to scale its AI-powered supply chain data fabric. The London-based startup helps enterprises track nature-based commodities and carbon exposure at the “first mile,” using geospatial AI, satellite data, and risk modelling.

⚖️ Wordsmith AI has raised $25M in Series A funding led by Index Ventures to scale its legal agent infrastructure. Based in Edinburgh, the startup is pioneering “legal engineers” who train AI fleets to support in-house legal teams across companies like Trustpilot and Deliveroo.

🧠 UK-based Skyral has raised $20M Series A to scale its AI-powered digital twin platform for modelling complex systems. Backed by NOIA and Accrete, it’s working with NATO, MoD, and global partners to reshape decision-making in defence, health, and infrastructure.

📡 AccelerComm raised €13.1M to scale its 5G satellite tech, enabling space-based mobile coverage. Backed by IP Group, Swisscom Ventures, and Bloc, the startup powers Lockheed Martin’s regenerative 5G payload and aims to lead the NTN revolution.

🎮 London-based Latent Technology raises €7M to bring generative physics animation to gaming. Backed by AlbionVC and Spark Capital, the startup’s real-time AI system aims to replace pre-scripted animations with emergent, dynamic character behaviours.

🏗️ London-based AUAR has raised £5.1M to scale its AI- and robotics-powered construction platform. Backed by Planet A and others, AUAR enables on-site timber housing production via mobile Micro-Factories, aiming to cut costs and boost sustainable homebuilding globally.

🎮 Liverpool’s OBT Live raised €2.6M Series A to scale its real-time AI platform for brand engagement. Blending LiveOps, gamification, and behavioural science, its “Engage AI” helps retail, media and sports brands convert users into loyal customers.

⚖️ Valla raised £2M to expand its AI-powered platform helping UK workers navigate employment law. Backed by Ada Ventures and others, Valla blends GenAI with fixed-fee coaching to democratise access to justice for millions priced out of legal help.

🧬 London-based Kiin Bio has raised £1.6M pre-seed to launch its AI-powered “virtual scientist” drug discovery platform. Backed by b2venture and Heartfelt, the startup aims to unify fragmented biotech tools into a cohesive R&D engine.

🌍 Hims & Hers is acquiring London-based telehealth startup Zava to expand into Germany, France, and Ireland. The move boosts its international reach amid shifting US regulations and intensifies competition in the AI-enabled digital health space.

📊 Kohort, a UK-based predictive analytics platform for user growth and revenue forecasting, has raised fresh funds led by The Raine Group. Backers include Eurazeo, AlbionVC, Triple Point, Velocity Capital, and Portfolio Ventures. The deal also includes a strategic partnership with Raine to serve its gaming and B2C portfolio.

🛡️ Newcastle-based Melius CyberSafe has raised £250K from the North East Venture Fund to scale its automated threat detection platform for SMEs. The startup offers real-time cyber monitoring, auto-penetration testing, and compliance support for clients like Virgin Wines and Jules B.

🗣️ Sylvi, a London-based edtech startup, has raised £350K to scale its AI-powered, conversation-first language app. Backed by angels from Snap, LADbible, and Episode 1, Sylvi ditches rote learning for real-time, confidence-building chats.

/spotlight

🧠 Literal Labs raised £4.6M to bring low-power, logic-based AI to edge devices. Spun out of Newcastle University, the startup is developing chips and software built on the Tsetlin machine - an alternative to energy-hungry neural networks.

Its models offer 54x faster inference and 52x lower energy use, with inherent explainability for regulated sectors like healthcare and finance. Backed by Northern Gritstone, Mercuri, Sure Valley Ventures, and Cambridge Future Tech, the team—led by Arm veteran Noel Hurley—aims to scale sustainable AI in battery-constrained and real-world environments.

We chatted with Literal Labs last weeks, write up over here.

/funds

💰 UK accelerator Unrest is raising a startup-fund. Cofounders Pan Demetriou and Orr Vinegold have helped accelerate Bea Fertility, Bold Bean Co, Happity, Citizens of Soil, My Pocket Skill, and NX10.

/tech

• 💰 The UK government has unveiled a landmark £86B science and tech package to power economic growth, including £22.5B annually by 2030. A new £500M Local Innovation Partnerships Fund will back regional R&D clusters from semiconductors to defence and AI.

/flywheel

• 🕵️‍♂️ Despite shuttering its London office, a16z is quietly expanding its European scout network, adding 9 new scouts in 2025. With just 3 deals this year, the US VC giant is betting on local eyes to stay plugged into EU tech.

• 📣 SeedLegals acquires The Pitch, the UK’s top startup competition, to connect founders with investors. The move expands SeedLegals’ offering from legal paperwork to live pitch events.

/breakfast

• 6 female VCs you need to know

• Rebalancing AI: Why Literal Labs is building for the edge

• Will AI kill the venture capitalist?

📸 /techbrunch

Every week I use AI to reimagine a tech story from the week.

This week, Elon Musk and Donald Trump are smack-talking each other into their own digital echo chambers. I imagine the fallout for MAGA, Silicon Valley, and beyond - as a match up between two great … monsters of the public domain - and imagine how dejected other monsters might feel. Caption suggestions welcome!

• Caption this in comments?