Newsletter: VC Breakfast Club

/deals

🛡️ London-based Maze secured €21.8M Series A to scale its AI agents that investigate and resolve cloud vulnerabilities autonomously. Led by Theory Ventures, with Cherry and Tapestry VC, Maze is rewriting cybersecurity for an AI-native future.

🪙 London-based Ubyx, founded by ex-Citi exec Tony McLaughlin, secured $10M to build a global clearing system for stablecoins. Galaxy, Coinbase Ventures, and Founders Fund backed the round.

💬 Leeds-based Build Concierge has raised £3.8M just 18 months after founder Martin Port survived a heart attack. The AI-powered customer engagement platform automates multichannel comms and has added heavyweight board members from government, construction, and tech.

🧬 London-based Perci Health has secured £3M in funding - double its target - to expand its AI-native cancer care platform. With backing from Macmillan, Octopus Ventures, and others, the startup delivers digital, specialist-led support across treatment, recovery, and survivorship.

📊 London-based fintech Teal raised £1.4M pre-Seed from Passion Capital to bring real-time payroll data into credit decisioning. By partnering with HCM platforms, Teal aims to replace outdated scoring with API-first, income-based insights.

🍽️ Hull-based Candid Hospitality raised £785K from Mercia Ventures, Haatch, and angels to scale its anonymous recruitment platform for hospitality roles. Founded by exited entrepreneurs, the startup matches talent by culture, competencies, and compensation - already counting 3,000+ candidates and 100+ brands

🧠 LGBTQ+ mental health app Voda secured £650K from Impact Shakers Ventures and others to scale its inclusive, self-guided therapy tools. Launched in 2023, it’s already reached 35K users and tackles care gaps with culturally competent content.

⚖️ Legaltech startup CaseCraft.AI secured £550K from Mount Fund to expand its AI-powered platform for small claims resolution. Founded by lawyers and technologists, it aims to simplify litigation and boost early dispute settlements across the UK.

🎬 Oxford-founded 01C secured €500K from EWOR to scale AMARA, its AI-powered creative production tool. With viral campaigns for McLaren and eBay, and backing from Google and NVIDIA, it’s redefining how media is made—streamlined, human-centric, and scalable.

📦 London-based Simplisales raised $500K pre-seed to streamline wholesale operations with AI-driven ERP tools. Backed by SFC Capital and Startup Wise Guys, the platform automates orders, pricing, and insights across 30+ systems—already handling $2M+ in monthly GMV.

💱 FX startup Glyde has raised £450K from Fuel Ventures to give users full control over cross-border money movement. Founded by two brothers, it lets freelancers and businesses set their own rates and sidestep hidden fees.

🏘️ London-based Blocktype snagged £315K pre-seed funding led by Fuel Ventures to scale its AI-powered planning tool. With 1.5M new homes needed, the platform helps developers and councils rapidly assess land use, policy compliance, and viability for faster, smarter builds.

🌍 International payments firm LemFi has acquired London-based Pillar, a fintech building credit access for immigrants. Founded by Ashutosh Bhatt and Adam Lewis, Pillar had raised £13M to date. The deal boosts LemFi’s credit offerings and signals a push into immigrant-focused financial infrastructure.

/spotlight

🔗 IonQ acquires Oxford Ionics for $1.08B! US quantum giant IonQ is acquiring Oxford Ionics in a $1.08B deal to scale ion-trap-on-a-chip quantum systems. The combined team targets 256 qubits at 99.99% accuracy by 2026 and 2M+ by 2030. Founders Ballance and Harty will stay on to grow UK operations.

/funds

Manchester’s Northern Gritstone and Parkwalk Advisors have launched a new EIS fund to back spinouts from Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, and Sheffield. The deeptech-focused vehicle aims to unlock northern university innovation at scale.

/tech

• At London Tech Week, the UK government announced major investments from global AI and fintech players including Liquidity (£1.5B), Nebius (£200M), and Yuno, as part of its “Plan for Change” strategy. The move boosts jobs and tech capacity across the UK, from Edinburgh to Warwick.

/flywheel

• The UK has appointed its first-ever entrepreneurship adviser: Alex Depledge MBE, founder of Hassle.com (acquired for £27M), will advise Chancellor Rachel Reeves on startup policy. The role signals a push to centre founders—especially women—in economic strategy.

• 🚀 JPMorgan Chase has opened applications for its FinTech Forward Accelerator in the UK. Targeting startups with early traction and <£1M revenue, the 12-week hybrid program offers mentorship, investor access, and a showcase at its Glasgow tech hub.

/breakfast

• How ElevenLabs took over AI Audio in a whisper - Ines

• 6 female VCs you need to know - Reesha

• Will AI kill the venture capitalist? - Mike

📸 /techbrunch

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

In other news, Apple’s researchers just threw cold water on the AI hype.

In a new paper, they suggest large AI models may be hitting a wall - challenging assumptions about reasoning and generalisability.

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