Month: August 2025

Oxford-based SugaROx secured €1.1 million to accelerate the production of its crop-enhancing biostimulants SugaROx, an Oxford-based agri-biotech spinout, has secured an additional €1.1 million (£1 million) in a seed round extension to accelerate the development and production of its crop-enhancing biostimulant, targeting improvements in food production and sustainability. The round

GDPR & EU AI Act: A 2025 checklist for teams who transcribe customer calls (Sponsored) By 2025, teams that transcribe customer calls face more than just an operational task. They face legal and ethical responsibilities. Both the GDPR and the EU AI Act shape how voice data and transcripts are

Manchester-based PhovIR secures €4.6 million to bring optical fingerprinting to everyday devices PhovIR, a University of Manchester spinout developing advanced Near Infra-Red (NIR) optical sensor technology, has raised over €4.6 million (£4 million) in an oversubscribed seed round led by Northern Gritstone and SCVC. The funding marks a significant milestone

The “will” factor: How to hire people who care as much as you do Imagine joining a startup team where everyone’s rowing in the same direction, except one person. They’re technically capable, but disengaged. They stick to the minimum, avoid ambiguity, and rarely take initiative. Over time, that lack of

Berlin-based WALLROUND secures €4.2 million to digitise and streamline energy-efficient building renovations WALLROUND, a Berlin-based startup aiming to digitise and streamline energy-efficient building renovations, has raised an oversubscribed €4.2 million seed round to fuel its mission of building Europe’s largest energy renovation franchise. The round was led by early-stage venture

Labubu brought Pop Mart 4.7B yuan in profits in 2025 Chinese toy manufacturer Pop Mart International Group Ltd. recorded significant growth in financial performance in the first half of 2025 thanks to high demand for Labubu dolls. The company’s revenue increased by 204% to 13.88 billion yuan ($1.93 billion) compared

Apple has protected data encryption. Britain will not force the company to open iCloud The United Kingdom has agreed to abandon an order requiring Apple to provide access to encrypted data of iCloud users. The decision was made after pressure from Donald Trump’s administration, the Financial Times reports. At the

Gemini is being integrated into Google Translate: the app will get new AI features Google is preparing a major update for the Google Translate app. In the code of APK version 9.15.114, Android Authority journalists found references to new features, including Gemini integration. Users will be able to switch between

Czech startup Lignufy secures €40,000 investment to digitize timber trade in Europe Lignufy, a Czech startup which revolutionizing the timber trade by digitizing and streamlining the buying and selling of wood materials, has secured a €40,000 investment from Czech Founders to bring the platform to market and test it with

QED, Nik Storonsky’s QuantumLight invest $80m into Turkish fintech Midas Powered by WPeMatico https://sifted.eu/articles/midas-funding-round/