• Itza

  Participated · Equity · Feb 2024

  ITZA develops a web platform that delivers films, games and interactive educational content combined with personalised analytics to accelerate independent learning for 10–16-year-olds. Its team includes filmmakers, cognitive scientists, educators and game designers working with external brands and organisations to produce content. The company plans to build a digital learning, production and AI analytics hub in Edinburgh and expects to increase its Edinburgh headcount from 15 to over 50 in the next three years. ITZA will pilot its platform in West Lothian, Dundee and Aberdeenshire this summer with access via GLOW, the Scottish schools digital network, ahead of a rollout across Scotland in the next academic year. Leadership says the company aims to be a trusted partner to Scottish education stakeholders and plans to go global from a base in Scotland. ITZA also intends to announce a series of Scotland, UK and international partnerships in the coming weeks and months.

• Carcinotech

  Participated · Equity · Jan 2024

  Carcinotech’s core product, Carcino3D, enables manufacture of 3D‑printed micro‑tumors using cells derived from patient biopsies and blood samples to precisely simulate the tumor microenvironment and accelerate ethical drug screening. The company positions the technology to improve delivery of more effective, personalized cancer treatments and to support oncology drug development. Carcinotech works with global partners including leading pharma companies, surgeons, pathologists and clinicians as part of its commercialization strategy. In October the company announced a partnership with CELLINK to combine CELLINK’s bioprinting solutions with Carcinotech’s expertise in producing bioprinted living tumors. Carcinotech has built traction across the UK and Europe and plans US expansion later this year. The company has strengthened its board, which is chaired by Albert Nicholl, and launched a scientific advisory board last year with world‑renowned oncology leaders.

• PneumoWave

  Led · Series A · Jan 2023

  PneumoWave is advancing a wearable biosensor platform to remotely diagnose and monitor potentially fatal respiratory changes in high‑risk patient groups. Led by CEO Dr Bruce Henderson, the device alerts carers and emergency medical services when dangerous respiratory events are detected. The company raised £7.5M in Series A funding to enable clinical validation and regulatory submission of its platform. PneumoWave aims to reduce the socioeconomic impact of drug overdose, which the article identifies as the leading cause of accidental death in many developed countries. Its technology is being developed as part of an international research programme with the University of Dundee, University of Glasgow, King’s College London, and the NRCH and Department of Health in Victoria, Australia.

• Trojan Energy

  Participated · Seed · Aug 2021

  Trojan Energy builds patented ‘clutter-free’ on-street EV chargers that sit flat and flush with the pavement and deliver charging speeds up to 22kW. The company also developed a ‘DEICER’ system to alert drivers when a charger and bay become available. Launched in 2016, its technology is designed to serve the roughly nine million UK households without a driveway. Trojan has an active rollout programme, recently partnering with Barnet council to install around 1,300 charge points and reporting a strong pipeline of opportunities across the UK, including projects tied to the LEVI fund. Management says the company plans to deploy several thousand more chargers to serve tens of thousands of customers. The business has raised funding totalling over £41 million to date. Trojan Energy builds a clutter-free, flat and flush on-street charging system that allows EV owners without driveways to charge from pavement-installed points. The company was founded by former oil and gas engineers who are applying that expertise to clean-energy hardware. Funding from the Scottish Government via Scottish Enterprise will support on-shoring more manufacturing to Scotland and accelerate R&D and technology development. The current support contributes toward a broader £2 million project to scale development, research new products and expand the workforce. Trojan is positioning its technology for wider deployment and international expansion while addressing on-street charging cost and accessibility challenges. The company’s work is framed as part of Scotland’s transition to net zero and growing a domestic low-carbon manufacturing base. Trojan Energy develops a flat-and-flush on-street EV charging system that delivers up to 22kW via lances connected to roadside charging points. Its design keeps pavements clear by routing power through underground ducts to cabinets located up to 100m away that can supply 15 charging units at once. Founded in 2016 by Ian Mackenzie, Hugh Mackenzie, Ashley Thomson and Sandy Thom, the company has launched trials in the London Borough of Brent and planned up to 150 charging points for Brent and nearby Camden. With the UK target market worth over £1 billion, Trojan intends to use funding to move to volume manufacturing, shrink cabinet size, reduce costs and broaden commercial applications and charging options. The company aims to be the de facto on-street charging solution in the UK by the end of 2023 and to make EV charging accessible to households without driveways. The fundraising will support rolling out more charge points, improving the technology and growing the team. Trojan Energy develops compact 'flat and flush' on-street EV charging points intended to fit into curb space without sacrificing pedestrian areas. Vehicle owners carry a portable charging 'lance' that plugs into the connector point to begin charging. The company aims to remove a major barrier to urban EV uptake for drivers who lack driveways and plans a follow-on driveway product that eliminates posts or wall boxes. Trojan intends to install the first 200 units in Brent and Camden Councils by early 2021 and, longer term, to export to Europe, India and China. Financially, it has secured a £4.1m funding package comprising £1m in equity investment which unlocks a further £3.1m from Innovate UK to support rollout. The team draws on Oil & Gas sector expertise and is partnering with industry, energy suppliers and councils to accelerate urban EV adoption.

• Cumulus Oncology

  Participated · Equity · Jul 2020

  Cumulus Oncology is an Edinburgh, Scotland oncology biotech that sources novel oncology assets from academic institutes, commercial drug discovery groups and biopharmaceutical companies. Led by founder and CEO Clare Wareing, the company identifies targets, performs due diligence and market assessment, then spins selected assets into newly created companies which it funds and manages to key development milestones. It uses AI and machine learning platforms to prioritise targets and assets and contributes early-stage capital and oncology drug development expertise to its portfolio companies. Cumulus raised £9M in a Seed financing led by Eos Advisory and the Scottish National Investment Bank to execute growth plans, expand its portfolio and accelerate development toward clinical proof of concept. Its first spinout, Nodus Oncology, is engaged in two oncology drug discovery programmes in the area of DNA damage response, and a second stealth company is slated to be unveiled in early 2024. Further projects are poised to read out important data points that will form the basis of at least a third new company creation within the next 12 months, and venture capital partners are important collaborators when spinouts reach key inflection points. Cumulus Oncology is Europe’s first oncology biotech creation company that identifies novel oncology assets to de‑risk and form spin‑out companies to commercialise cancer therapies. Founded in 2017 and based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Cumulus has created spin‑outs including Nodus Oncology (April 2020) focusing on DNA damage response and Modulus Oncology (September 2020) formed with the University of Sheffield. The company is led by CEO and co‑founder Clare Wareing. Cumulus plans to accelerate its business model to identify and develop treatments targeting unmet needs in specific cancer patient populations. It has secured a £4.1 million ($5.6 million) investment led by Eos Advisory with Scottish Enterprise participating, and an additional £1.5 million ($2.0 million) is expected to follow. Dr Russell Greig has joined the board as Chairman to help guide strategic focus, drawing on his drug development and business development experience at GlaxoSmithKline and advisory roles across biotech and VC. Cumulus Oncology is described as Europe’s first oncology drug-discovery accelerator, creating spin-out companies that develop cancer therapies. Founded in 2017, the firm focuses on fast-tracking treatments into clinical trials for cancer types that respond poorly to existing procedures. The company says it has spent three years curating a high-calibre team and building a portfolio of oncology asset-centric spin-outs. Clare Wareing, founder and CEO, has roughly 20 years’ experience with big pharma, biotech and clinical research organisations and previously founded Nexus Oncology, which was acquired by Ockham in 2012. Cumulus aims to scale its business model across Europe and capitalise on what it describes as significant market opportunities. The team positions itself to attract venture capital and trade investors as European biotech investment grows.

No current team members are available.