Led · Equity · Apr 2023

RazorSecure develops and deploys cybersecurity solutions designed to protect railway systems and critical infrastructure from malicious intrusion. Founded in 2015 and based in the UK, its customers include train manufacturers and operators such as Siemens, Northern Trains and West Midlands Trains. The company plans to expand into Europe and North America over the next five years and expects to create at least 67 new jobs in the UK. RazorSecure has a memorandum of understanding with the University of Birmingham’s Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education to improve railway cybersecurity. Financially, the company has secured investment and prior funding from Frontier Development Capital, including a £750,000 loan in 2018. The recent funding will support continued staff and product development and international expansion into the global rail market. RazorSecure is a rail-focused cyber-security company that develops machine-learning detection platforms and an EN50155-approved Security Gateway for train manufacturers and operators. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Basingstoke, the company supplies solutions for onboard and trackside applications and has been deployed in over 1,600 rail vehicles, protecting more than 30 million passenger journeys. Customers and partners include Arriva, Icomera and Northern Trains, and the company reports it has doubled its team in the past 12 months. RazorSecure’s product suite detects operational deviations in control systems rather than focusing solely on data protection. The company plans to use the latest funding to expand its global presence and further develop protection for a growing number of rail customers. RazorSecure develops AI-based cybersecurity software that models typical system behavior and detects deviations as potential threats, enabling protection of transport systems without requiring a permanent internet connection. Its primary customers are in the rail and aviation sectors, and it has worked with operators and suppliers including Arriva, Icomera, Nomad Digital and VT Miltope. The company says its approach minimizes successful hacks while remaining effective for the life of a system. RazorSecure plans to use new funding to expand internationally and enter adjacent sectors such as automotive and shipping. The business intends to more than double its team from 12 to 27 people to deliver that strategy. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Basingstoke, the company aims to leverage investor strategic support as it grows.

Led · Equity · Feb 2023

Beryl is a London-based B-Corp micromobility firm that designs, develops, and manufactures its own technology and products. The company began with the Laserlight under the brand Blaze, created by co-founder Emily Brooke; Brooke’s research found cyclists using the Laserlight were 32% more visible to drivers, and the product was adopted by bike-hire fleets in New York, Montreal, and London. Beryl now operates a bike-hire service offering e-bikes, e-cargo bikes, and e-scooters across multiple UK locations including Norwich, Watford, Hereford, Bournemouth, the Isle of Wight, Hackney, Greater Manchester, Cornwall, and Solent. It has raised approximately £23.3 million since late 2012 and has secured a fresh £2 million from Frontier Development Capital to support the development of a new factory in Poole, Dorset. The company is backed by investors including Entrepreneur First, Sir Richard Branson, Index Ventures, and the British Business Bank. Beryl says manufacturing its products in the UK reduces dependence on global supply chains and shrinks its carbon footprint, and the new investment is intended to boost UK manufacturing capacity and contribute to UK industry.