Led · Equity · Sep 2020

Connexin is a London-based smart city operator founded in 2006 that develops IoT and urban infrastructure software. Its core product is CityOS, a smart city operating system for municipalities to manage waste, flood prevention, water and electricity use, mobility and parking. In 2019 it delivered the UK’s first purpose-built Smart City Operating System for Hull City Council and this year implemented CityOS to improve highway maintenance across Sheffield. The company emphasizes digitally connected infrastructure to allow devices to communicate, with stated goals of improving air quality, street cleanliness and road safety. Connexin secured £80 million when Whitehelm Capital bought a large minority stake and has earmarked further capital through the partnership. The funding is intended to help the company keep up with growing UK demand for its solutions. Connexin builds and operates metropolitan Wi‑Fi networks and smart‑city infrastructure using wireless technologies, fibre optic and software applications to deliver public Wi‑Fi and connectivity for devices such as road sensors, energy and security systems. The company works primarily with UK local authorities, having expanded from a key 10‑year Hull city‑centre Wi‑Fi contract to projects across the UK. It is scaling rapidly following an up to £10m investment commitment led by Digital Alpha Advisors and plans to expand its team and physical capacity. Part of the funding will be used to build a technology campus that includes a new data centre and Connexin’s headquarters, and hiring plans include 100 new jobs at its Hull site and 10 in London. Digital Alpha will also enable new financing models for cash‑strapped councils and intends to underwrite up to £100m of smart‑city projects with investment partners. Connexin was founded in Hull in 2006 and positions itself as a leader in the smart cities sector through partnerships, including integration with Cisco’s Kinetic for Cities platform.