The UK is regularly praised for its ever-expanding collection of early stage technology businesses. In fact, KPMG has previously reported that across Britain, a new tech company is born every hour. This increasing number of digital startups is being supported by growing volumes of investment; UK Tech firms attracted almost £3bn in venture capital funding alone in 2017, nearly double the £1.63bn attracted the year before. Amidst, the attention given to the country’s tech talent, London often attracts much of the limelight. This is largely down to the sheer volume of digital businesses across th ..read more

Cambridge-based cleantech startup Levidian has installed the first of its greenhouse gas-reducing LOOP devices in the UK, in partnership with Eco Group. The devices, which will be deployed in the south of Scotland, breaks methane into hydrogen and carbon atoms, with the carbon then used to create wonder material graphene. The process takes place without the use of catalysts or additives. “LOOP will be a powerful tool for industrial decarbonisation and fits in well with Scotland’s green ambitions – we’re looking forward to working with Eco to deploy LOOPs and integrate graphene to help us drive ..read more

Bristol-based Anaphite has secured £4.1m in seed funding to use graphene in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs). Graphene is stronger than steel, it also is a conductor of electricity and heat. It has the potential to take the place of silicon inside electronics. “I truly believe we are in a great position to have a significant impact in the fight against climate change by accelerating the mass adoption of EVs with our fast-charging graphene technology,” said Alexander Hewitt, COO and co-founder, Anaphite. The Bristol deeptech wants to use the material in lithium-ion batteries fo ..read more

The CEO and co-founder of Paragraf, a British startup commercialising graphene-based electronics, has threatened to move its base to the US due to the lack of a government semiconductor strategy and challenges attracting talent post-Brexit. “The UK’s delay in deciding a semiconductor strategy, and time that is wasted waiting on clarity from the government, increases pressure on companies that are being courted by alternative locations,” Paragraf chief Simon Thomas told UKTN. “Paragraf has always regarded offshoring as a last resort. We remain hopeful that government will invest in reducing bar ..read more

Graphene technology startup CamGraPhIC has secured £813,475 in funding from Wealth Club members through the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS). CamGraPhIC, a spinout from the University of Cambridge, is creating graphene-based photonics technology that could be used in optical transceivers and in telecom networks. Graphene is stronger than steel as well as a conductor of electricity and heat. In the future, it could replace the use of silicon inside electronics. “The company has the potential to be a leading manufacturer of next-generation optical devices for use in global 5G markets. While st ..read more

Cambridge-based graphene electronics company Paragraf has secured $60m (£45m) in a Series B round of funding led by New Science Ventures. Paragraf will use the funds to scale up its international growth by increasing sales across the UK, US, EU and Asian markets. The company specialises in graphene-based electronics, a material with highly promising capabilities that could prove to be the perfect alternative to silicon in electronic devices. Graphene has been described as a “wonder material” because of its unique properties. It’s a highly conductive material that balances strength and flexibil ..read more

The UK is regularly praised for its ever-expanding collection of early stage technology businesses. In fact, KPMG has previously reported that across Britain, a new tech company is born every hour. This increasing number of digital startups is being supported by growing volumes of investment; UK Tech firms attracted almost £3bn in venture capital funding alone in 2017, nearly double the £1.63bn attracted the year before. Amidst, the attention given to the country’s tech talent, London often attracts much of the limelight. This is largely down to the sheer volume of digital businesses across th ..read more

Scotland-based Integrated Graphene is investing £8m to scale up its manufacturing process for the commercial production of graphene. Graphene, often described as a wonder material, has the potential to replace silicon in electronics – a crucial material for making semiconductors. It is stronger than steel, thinner than hair as well as a conductor of electricity and heat. Potential applications of the material include sensors, membranes, energy and electronics. Currently, graphene is hard to produce at scale – something that Integrated Graphene is aiming to change. Claus Marquordt, co-founder a ..read more

Cambridge University spin-out Paragraf has closed a £2.9m Seed to develop its graphene technology. The round was led by Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation arm of the University of Cambridge, with the participation of Parkwalk Advisors, Amadeus Capital Partners, IQ Capital Partners and Angel investors. Paragraf is working on commercialising graphene-based products. It develops electronic devices based on atom-layer thick 2D materials, namely graphene. Graphene is useful for electronic items due to its high conductivity, strength, very low weight and flexibility.  Prof. Sir Co ..read more