London Brief #28: Winning London startups
Learn which London startups are the winners, and see how $1bn does not make much difference. Read more in this issue.
In the news
London startups are winning! Memrise, a mnemotechnic e-learning app from East London, has won ‘Best App’ at the 2017 Google Play Awards. Vidsy, a startup that helps to create marketing mobile videos has won Facebook’s Innovation Spotlight video category. Curve, a fintech that offers one MasterCard to rule all your cards, has won Wired Money‘s Startup Pitch. Congratulations!
TfL has announced six startups that will help “keep London moving” in the Nitrous London accelerator. The selected startups are Alchera Technologies, Blubel, Faxi, NumberEight, Pedals, and TravelAi.
Bluetable is a new healthtech accelerator founded by Bupa. Apply here.
Upcoming Events
Save the date for The London Lean Startup Summit — one of the most exciting London events in 2017! We’ll gather during London Tech Week on 13 & 14 June at the London Stock Exchange and Here East. Our readers can register with a Netguru discount.
Business as usual
- Softbank Vision Fund is now $101bn after Sharp has added $1bn more to the giant who just invested in Improbable.io.
- Appear Here, an online marketplace for short-term retail space, raised $12m in Series B led by Octopus Ventures
- YOPA, a real-estate startup that reduces commission on house sales, has raised £15m in Series B funding. The round was led by Daily Mail and General Trust Plc
- Vivacity Labs, a startup working on AI systems to monitor and regulate traffic in real time, has raised £1.7 grant from Innovate UK and additional funding of £1.6m from Tracsis, Downing Ventures and London Co-Investment Fund. The company will use this money to perform a city-wide roll out in Milton Keynes.
- SILK Ventures has raised a $500m fund to invest in tech companies in Europe and the US. The company offers not only money but also a connection to the Chinese market.
Number of the day
$101bn: Softbank Vision Fund makes $1bn investment look small.
Idea
London Brief is a weekly selection of essential information about startups, technology and the business scene in London. Got news? Give us a shout at londonbrief@netguru.co.
Radek Zaleski
On behalf of the London Brief Team
