In this series, Lerer Hippeau dives into technologies and industries they’re excited about, going deep into their change drivers, and stakeholders while exploring investment trends and opportunities through an early-stage lens.
Business
Kuano Raises £1M to Bring Advanced Technology to the Drug Development and Design Process
mRNA science has shown the power of using an operating system framework for drug discovery and development with the successful COVID vaccine developments from Pfizer and Moderna. Integrating technology into the drug design process introduces unparalleled speed and flexibility. Kuano is using AI, quantum chemistry, and medical science to focus on enzyme reactions, a key factor in drug development, to develop novel therapeutics. The company is able to model enzyme reactions with unprecedented specificity allowing the drug makers to acquire the building blocks for pharmaceuticals that will address some of our most pressing and challenging diseases. London TechWatch caught up with Cofounder and CEO Vid Stojevic to learn more about how the Kuano changes the paradigm of drug development, the company’s strategic plans, and recent round of funding from ACF Investors, o2h Ventures, and a syndicate of Cambridge, London and UK-based angel investors.
Reopening America with Intelligence in the Built Environment
As America celebrated this week its 245th year of Independence, New York City is beginning to show signs of liberation from the past year of Covid captivity. Even my landmark office skyscraper, The Empire State Building, recently loosened its pandemic mask and social distancing restrictions. Unfortunately, the bustling of Midtown suits is still far from […]
Electric Gamebox Raises Another $11M for its Social In-Person Immersive Gaming Experiences
As the world emerges from the shadows of lockdowns of the last 16 months, consumers, starved for entertainment options out of the home, will be greeted with new and novel immersive experiences that fuse technology and groups together. Advances in motion tracking, touch screens, and sound technologies are making location-based entertainment solutions more compelling and attractive for those wanting to try something new. Electric Gamebox is a provider of social in-person multisensory gaming experiences designed to be enjoyed by groups of 2-6. The company currently has four locations that offer 30-60 minute experiences that are designed to collaborative and fun with plans for aggressive geographic expansion over the next few years. The Electric Gamebox experience requires a small physical footprint and the company plans to integrate into existing retail locations to increase its availability. Like Escape the Rooms, the gameplay is meant to be versatile for outings for groups of friends, dates, corporate team-building, birthday parties, etc. The company currently offers 6 games that it has developed with plans to bring more titles onboard including brand name franchises to enhance its experiential capabilities. Pricing for its London location starts at £9 for kids and £14 for adults for 30 minutes, making it quite accessible. London TechWatch caught up with CEO, Cofounder, and repeat entrepreneur Will Dean (founded Tough Mudder) to learn more about the inspiration for the business, how the company managed to expand despite lockdown during the pandemic, strategic plans, lastest round of funding from investors that include Philian, Brookfield Asset Management, Index Ventures, Project A, and ActivumSG.
GameStop, Dogecoin, and The Rise of Meme Investing: Why Robinhood’s IPO Could Send Retail Investing Social
A look at Robinhood’s role in the rise of meme investing.
E-Nano is Closing in on a £275K Round to Make Robotic Sports Turfs Monitoring a Reality
You turn on the TV to watch a sports event and you see a pristine pitch without thinking twice. But behind the scenes, there is a sophisticated system of turf science focused on mowing, fertilization, irrigation, seeding, and aeration. It costs in excess of $1M per year to maintain the average golf course. E-Nano is building a future where robots are used to monitor and control the process of maintaining sports fields and stadium pitches to bring these costs down and reduce the environmental impact of turf management. The company’s robotic solution integrates sensors, 5G, and AI to provide sophisticated analytics to optimize field maintenance. London TechWatch caught up with CEO Christian von Scheidt to learn more about how robots-as-a-service will modernize turf management, the company’s future plans, and initial fundraising efforts.
Robotic Startup Now Cuisine Takes On Ghost Kitchens and Drone Deliveries
The robotics industry is at an inflection point where the baton is being passed from the scientists to the practitioners. In historical terms, we are witnessing the Edisons of the world harness the innovations of the likes of Faraday to create life-changing businesses and wealth. Automation has moved from smart manufacturing and logistics to fry cooking and salad tossing.
Lifted Raises Another $6.2M for its Comprehensive Home Care Management Platform
Isolation from the pandemic has been especially hard on older adults, many that are in need of some form of support (both large and small) for activities of daily living. Over the last decade, a record portion of the population has been turning 65 each year in the UK, fueled by baby boomers. The combination of these two factors has made home health care a pillar of the healthcare system to support the needs of the elderly population and their families. Lifted is a comprehensive home care management platform that makes it easy for families to access, use, plan for, and manage their home care needs. The home care industry is extremely fragmented and navigating the landscape can be difficult to find trusted providers. Lifted brings transparent, and reliable experience to the process with its own dedicated staff (other providers rely on contract workers), digital-first experience, and resources. London TechWatch caught up with CEO and Cofounder Rachael Crook to learn more about how her experience caring for her mother inspired the company, the state of the industry, strategic plans, and latest round of funding from investors that include Fuel Ventures, 1818 Venture Capital, Perivoli Innovations, the J.B. Ugland family office, Kluz Ventures through its new health affiliated fund Novit Ventures, and VOYAGERS HealthTech.
Urban Jungle Adds Another $11.4M to Expand its Home Insurance Offering
Millennials are more apprehensive about getting any type of insurance than previous generations. As more and more millennials forgo homeownership, they are exposing themselves to financial risk when they choose not to secure renters’ insurance for their possessions while renting. Urban Jungle is a digital-first rental insurance platform that offers fast, flexible and affordable insurance options that start at just £5/mo. Targeted towards younger consumers interested in preparing for their financial future, the company was able to double its customer base to 40,000 during the pandemic with plans to expand its offering. AlleyWatch caught up with CEO and Cofounder Jimmy Williams to learn more about Urban’s Jungle experience building traction during the pandemic, strategic growth plans, and latest round of funding from investors that include Mundi Ventures and Eka Ventures.
A CEO’s 5-Step Guide on How to Manage Online Retail Finances: The Startup Edition
Synder is a personal financial assistant for small to medium-sized businesses in the eCommerce sphere. Synder carries out all bookkeeping and accounting tasks for your business. It doesn’t matter which sales channels or payment processors you use, whether it is Stripe, Square, Shopify, Amazon, eBay, PayPal, Etsy, or WooCommerce.