Participated · Seed · Jul 2021

QV Bioelectronics is developing GRACE, an implantable electric field therapy (EFT) device intended to disrupt cancer cell growth in the brain by applying electrical fields at specific frequencies. The company is undertaking pre‑clinical studies and expects the device to operate without harming healthy brain cells. QV plans to tackle glioblastoma first and to deliver the implant to patients during mainstream surgical treatment to maximise safety and cost‑effectiveness. The funding will be used to expand pre‑clinical research and to finalise an initial product design. Proceeds will also support QV's commercial strategy and regulatory pipeline as it prepares the EFT for clinical‑grade testing. The founding team includes specialty neurosurgery registrar Dr Richard Fu and CEO Dr Christopher Bullock. The company is based in Cheshire, UK and recently raised new capital to advance development. QV Bioelectronics, founded in 2018 by Christopher Bullock and Richard Fu, is developing the GRACE implant — a first-of-its-kind electric field therapy device aimed at treating glioblastoma. The technology uses advanced materials and is designed to extend patient life expectancy without negatively affecting quality of life. The company has worked with leading UK neurosurgeons on prototype design and remains at an early development stage; it expects several years before the device enters clinical trials. QV recently closed an oversubscribed £735K seed round to advance GRACE's development and grow its team. Prior to this round it had raised over £350K in a mix of equity and grants, including a pre-seed from SOSV and grants from Innovate UK and the National Institute for Health Research. The company plans to use the new funds to push the technology toward clinical readiness while leveraging investor expertise and networks.

Participated · Seed · Mar 2020

Cerebreon is a Donegal, Ireland-based insolvency technology startup developing a deep learning platform to predict and prevent insolvency. The platform is being deployed with consumers, financial institutions and insolvency practitioners to identify financial distress ahead of time. The company recently closed a £1.5m seed funding round to scale operations. Cerebreon intends to use the funds to expand its business reach in the UK. Led by CEO Gillian Doyle, the startup was selected for Accenture’s Fintech Innovation Lab accelerator and has partnered with Microsoft to protect sensitive personal data using Microsoft Azure. These steps support broader deployment of its insolvency-prevention tools. Cerebreon is an insolvency software startup that aims to use machine intelligence to improve efficiency and reduce defaults in the insolvency sector. The company pitched at NDRC’s Spring Investor Showcase, competing against nine other businesses. It won the event and secured a €30,000 follow-on investment from NDRC. Founders Gillian Doyle and Ken Doherty were pictured with NDRC CEO Ben Hurley. Ben Hurley said Cerebreon convincingly depicted a global problem and stood out as the business with the most scalable opportunity. NDRC is also currently seeking startups for upcoming investment programmes in Galway and Dublin, which may create further opportunities for the company.