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In 2019, there were 4.95 million deaths associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across 204 countries, leading the WHO to declare it a top global public health threat. Three years later, iFAST Diagnostics was born. UK-based iFAST is developing a testing system that uses microchip technology to analyse bacterial samples quickly and accurately so doctors can administer the most effective antibiotic treatment sooner. It's a development that could save lives in critical cases such as sepsis and drug-resistant infections. iFAST aims to launch its technology in the UK next year, with plans to expand to the US and EU markets shortly after. They have just closed a €5.9 million seed funding round to help with this role out, led by KHP Ventures, a medtech-focused fund backed by the NHS, and saw participation from new investors, including EInk , Raw Ventures, and OKG Capital, alongside support from existing backers such as QantX, UKI2S, and Kadmos Capital Ltd. More here: https://lnkd.in/dgX-4346 #raiseoftheweek --- We're the matchmaker for founders, investors and executives. We also love finding and sharing the best startup news. Give us a follow

☑️☑️What an exciting event coming up… we are looking forward to co-hosting the next Investor Forum with swiftscale and bringing together top venture capital voices in our London office Macquarie Group Venture Capital!

As an investor, we know you choose your events wisely, so we build ours with you in mind. ✨ Quick-fire startup pitches ✨ Quality founders ✨ Quality investors ✨ Maximum time to catch up and make connections Our flagship Investor Forum is back on Wednesday 27th November, hosted with Macquarie Group Venture Capital (A$50 billion AUM, 70+ portfolio companies). We have over 160 investors already registered for this invite-only event. But, if you haven’t got a ticket yet, you can register your interest here: https://lu.ma/gmjwolna

"We truly believe that re-commerce will be as game-changing as e-commerce was 20 years ago" 🛍️ ^ That's Peter Lydon, co-founder and CPO of Birl, who have just raised a £500k pre-seed round. Birl provides consumers with an easy way to trade in pre-owned clothing directly on brand websites, offering a seamless alternative to platforms like eBay and Vinted. Soon, Birl will expand its fashion resale platform to include a sports shirt trade-in solution, launching partnerships with football and Premiership rugby clubs. This allows fans to trade in used football and rugby shirts for credit, making it easy to buy the latest shirt while supporting sustainable practices. Each year, over 100 billion clothing items are produced, but less than 5% are resold, leading to massive waste. Birl aims to use its technology to contribute to a world where all clothing is either being used or recycled back into new products. Doing good for the planet is also looking good for the pockets. Birl is on track to reach £1m in revenue in 2025, driven by brand partnerships and market expansion. "Brands can now activate this new revenue channel within a few days. For example, Peregrine Clothing went live with Birl within a day, showcasing our solution’s ease and efficiency." #raiseoftheweek Check it out on Jesse Heasman's original source for venture funding news: Soapbox: https://lnkd.in/dssa-mbc

“Investment is a partnership. If that partnership dynamic isn't there, it's quite hard to fabricate in a day. It takes time.” ^ That’s Bob Thomas, Partner at Oxx (read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/eFiSPgyP) There’s nothing better than meeting an exceptional founder in person to kick off a partnership. So, we’re bringing a few of our favourite founders (and over 100 funds) to our Investor Forum on Wednesday 27th November. If you're a senior Investor at a VC, CVC, PE or Family Office, you can register your interest here: https://lu.ma/gmjwolna

An exciting investment from our friends at Macquarie Group Venture Capital!

Sharing a glimpse of the incredible investor community that will be coming together at our Investor Forum 💫 We're co-hosting with the Macquarie Group Venture Capital team at their lovely office in Moorgate, London. You'll likely know who Macquarie are, but you may not know that their Venture Capital team have A$50 billion Assets Under Management and over 70 portfolio companies. They also have impeccable taste in wine, which we'll be diving into on 27th Nov. This is an invite-only event for senior representatives of VC, CVC, PE & Family Offices, but if you'd like to register your interest - you can do so here: https://lu.ma/gmjwolna

Most of the founders we speak to say they're working on honing their focus. Continuously prioritising, so that they're always working on the *right* things at the right time. This is evident on Oriole Networks' website, where a simple contact form takes up the entire homepage. But, underneath, they're doing jaw-dropping things. Oriole Networks are focusing on using light to train large language models (LLMs) 💡 They've just raised an additional $22 million, led by Plural (the VC run by government AI advisor Ian Hogarth) and with all existing investors – UCL Technology Fund, XTX Ventures, Clean Growth Fund, and Dorilton Ventures – reinvesting. Founded in 2023, but applying 20 years of deep research and learning in photonics, Oriole Networks aims to make generative AI faster and more sustainable. They're doing this by using light (via advanced photonics technology) to create networks of AI chips and combine their processing power. They claim that this will allow LLMs to be trained up to 100x faster while consuming a fraction of the power required for traditional methods. It's groundbreaking technology that feels pretty sci-fi. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eCrx8fpR #raiseoftheweek Image credit: Oriole Networks ------ Get more from us by clicking 🔔 on our profile

If you don’t already have it in your diary the Swiftscale events are always excellent.

SwiftScale know the most exciting startups in the UK. I was soo impressed by the calibre of the startups last time This is an event not to be missed