Participated · Seed · Oct 2023

P.E.S. Technologies has developed a portable, biology-based soil health testing product built around proprietary VOC-sensing (“smell-based”) technology that delivers multiple biological, chemical and physical soil health indicators in the field in about five minutes. The company says the device links smells produced by microbial life to known soil health indicators and is designed to be affordable and easy to use for agronomists and farmers. P.E.S. closed a £2.4M Seed investment to finish product development and make the tool market-ready, and Innovate UK will provide an additional £625k of non-dilutive support. The firm plans a product launch in Spring 2024 and intends to hire multiple commercial and administrative staff. Founded in 2017, P.E.S. is UK-based and employs a team of five. The company has received recognition including Cleantech Group’s 2023 50 to Watch and inclusion in the FoodTech 500 in 2022.

Participated · Series A · Aug 2023

AssetCool develops a proprietary coating platform and robotic deployment system that applies advanced nanomaterial coatings to new and existing overhead conductors. Its CapacityN robotic platform can rapidly apply a range of functional coatings to address constraints such as limited capacity, noise, and corrosion while also collecting physical data for AI-driven analysis. AssetCool says its coatings can increase line capacity by up to 30% and be up to 20 times cheaper than conventional upgrades, with much faster deployment. The company has already deployed its technology with multiple utilities worldwide and plans to scale its robotics and coatings globally. Management frames the business as improving the physical layer of the grid without rebuilding it, combining materials science, robotics, and data services. The company recently closed a funding round to support that global scaling and ongoing product development. AssetCool is a UK-based climate tech company developing a durable photonic materials-based coating designed to cool overhead power lines, reducing energy losses, costs and emissions. Its core product can be retrofitted to existing electricity networks and the company has developed in-situ application techniques including aerial coating robots. AssetCool says the coating increases the capacity and efficiency of transmission networks and can help facilitate electrification. The company was founded by Dr. Niall Coogan (Managing Director) and Barry Johnston and has links to the Universities of Manchester and Leeds. AssetCool has raised a £2.25 million Series A to support commercial rollout and further development of its retrofit techniques for power stations. The funding is intended to accelerate deployment of its photonic coating and related application technology.

Participated · Equity · Jul 2023

Go Eve is an electric vehicle (EV) charging startup co‑founded in 2021 by Hugh Sheehy, John Goodbody, Professor Robert Shorten, Dr Pietro Ferraro and Andrew Cullen. The company develops "DockChain" technology that extends a single rapid DC charger to a daisy chain of lower‑cost charging terminals and uses software to manage a virtual queue that schedules high power delivery to each connected EV. Go Eve completed a pilot installation at the Imperial campus last November. The company has offices at NovaUCD in Dublin and in London. Go Eve raised £3M in its first funding round, with participation from The Pearl Family Office, Carter Gem, Automotive Ventures Inc., Kero Development Partners and Cur8 Capital. It intends to use the funds to secure its supply chains and scale production.

Led · Equity · Dec 2022

Zelim develops unmanned search and rescue solutions for the maritime sector, aiming to improve the chances of finding and recovering people in distress while reducing risk to rescuers. The company has launched a patented Swift rescue conveyor and plans to release Guardian, described as the world’s first fast rescue craft with both crewed and uncrewed operation modes, in 2023. Zelim has concentrated initial commercial efforts on the fast-growing offshore energy market. It is backed by industry programmes including the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP). The company is headquartered in Edinburgh and has been developing its technology since at least a 2020 seed round.

Participated · Equity · Feb 2021

Power Roll is developing an ultra-thin, ultra-lightweight, low-cost flexible solar film intended to expand where solar power can be deployed. The company says its technology could enable production of solar power on surfaces currently unsuitable for conventional panels, including the 12 billion square metres of global rooftops where existing solutions cannot be deployed. The latest funding will be used to accelerate development of the film and to scale the team and technology. CEO Neil Spann says the company is preparing for the UK’s first commercial-scale flexible solar film factory in 2025. Power Roll positions its product as a broadly deployable green energy solution that can be produced affordably and without harming plant or people. Financially, the update reports a £3.8m raise as a follow-on investment from Green Angel Ventures and its investor base. Power Roll received a follow-on funding round led by GWC, announced 29 December 2021. GWC members invested a further £6m into Power Roll via a mix of equity and convertible debt. The equity portion of the round closed in December 2021. That equity round was in excess of 3x the post-money valuation following GWC's investment in 2020. The article does not disclose product details, future plans, or operating metrics such as revenue or user counts. Power Roll develops an ultra-thin, flexible solar film that can both generate and store electricity, claiming to produce green power up to 10 times more cheaply than traditional technologies. Its films can be installed on diverse surfaces, including rooftops and building sides, and the company has created off-grid portable power applications. Power Roll originally launched in Washington and has relocated to Jade Business Park in Seaham, where it has opened a manufacturing plant in Durham. The company is commissioning a pilot plant that will enable roll-to-roll manufacturing with a view to further scaling production in the UK and internationally. Financially, the business has previously raised £5.8m over two funding rounds and has just secured additional funding to support growth. Management says the new funds will support an expanding UK and international customer base and investment in the newly opened Durham manufacturing facility. Power Roll, an Acceleris Capital portfolio company, has invented a new way to generate and store energy via flexible solar PV film and capacitors produced on roll-to-roll lines. Its solar PV film is described as producing clean, renewable energy at a fraction of the cost of other sources. The company also produces capacitors using flexible film with a range of dielectric and storage materials and is developing sensor applications. Power Roll plans to open its roll-to-roll pilot plant for its unique solar film this year and is strengthening its team to support market delivery. Financially, it secured a further £3m investment in the latest round, bringing total investment to £5.8m over the past six months. Acceleris Capital acted as the corporate finance adviser and Square One Law provided legal services on the deal.