The Venture View is back following the release of our April Investor Update. Plenty has been happening across our portfolio and Praetura in that time, including the arrival of three new operational partners to help support and mentor our investee companies.
This month, we have welcomed Siobhan Almond, former General Counsel and Company Secretary at JD Sports; Mark Horncastle, former Partner and UK Head of Healthcare at PA Consulting; and Penny Attridge, a long-term healthcare expert who was previously the Investment Director for Spark Impact. You can read more about their backgrounds and via this news link.
Welcome to the portfolio Covatic, Sticky, Seatfrog and ScubaTx
The Praetura Ventures portfolio has welcomed four new companies these past several months. Among those businesses is Comcast collaborator Covatic, which has developed a unique set of privacy-first AdTech solutions that deliver results without harvesting user data. The second business, Sticky, specialises in near-field communication stickers, enabling customers to complete actions like maki ng a payment with a tap of their smartphone.
Seatfrog is also new and joins on the strength of its mobile app, which allows passengers to easily upgrade train seats to first-class. Finally, ScubaTx has received funding from the GMC Life Sciences Fund By Praetura to take its innovative organ transportation device to market in a move that is tipped to revolutionise the organ transplantation space.
Rainmaker Nominations for XR Games, Modern Milkman & Praetura Group
Our investments into XR Games and Modern Milkman have been shortlisted for awards in the Yorkshire and North West Rainmaker Awards, with Praetura Ventures named alongside our fellow investors. The awards take place in June, so we’ll share further news in our next update. In addition to our work as Praetura Ventures, our lending businesses have been collectively nominated in the North West Best Funder category, owing to the strength of the Group’s deal count and more than money support.
BlueSkeye AI Awarded £20,000 for Aerospace Research Project
Blueskeye AI has been awarded a prestigious grant to further investigate how its facial technology can be used in aircraft cockpits. Blueskeye, which is already working to make cars and transport safer by analysing passengers’ mood and wellbeing, has been awarded the £20,000 from the Aerospace Unlocking Potential (UP) Programme – a £20m European Regional Development Fund Project which is in its final year.
Futr Named on List of 15 London Startups to Watch
Futr has been recognised for its work driving innovation in AI on the back of its progress in the self-serve chatbot space. The tech publication UKT News named Futr on its list of ‘15 London startups to keep an eye on’ and has celebrated the business for its work revolutionising how organisations engage with people. Check out the full list here.
Modern Milkman Named on BusinessCloud’s EnviroTech50 List
Modern Milkman, which joined our portfolio last year, has been featured in this year’s EnviroTech50 List by BusinessCloud. The sustainable grocer and delivery platform was named alongside leading companies, such as Octopus Energy, for its innovative leaps in the sustainability space. The final top 50 was whittled down from a 107-strong shortlist, with Modern Milkman appearing on the ranking again after being featured in last year’s top five.
Placed App Awarded Salary Transparency Champion Status
Otta.com, which specialises in tech industry recruitment, has named our portfolio company Placed App a Salary Transparency Champion. The initiative is part of the drive to encourage more companies to publicly share the salary for job roles. Placed, which joined our portfolio last year, has been changing the recruitment space in areas such as hospitality with its solution, which shuns traditional CVs and processes to help young people find the roles most suited to them.
Peak Release B&M Case Study on Discounter’s Move to AI
Ever wondered about the transformative impact our portfolio company Peak has on large retailers? Peak has just released a case study detailing its work with B&M, which boasts 700+ stores across the UK. Working with the brand, Peak has helped B&M transition from Excel to AI-based Decision Intelligence, saving the company significant time while raising efficiencies. Read it in full here.
